Cybercrime survey seeks anonymous information on scam victims in Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead

Neighbourhood Watch supported by Thames Valley Police is prompting residents in Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead to give it some information about cybercrime.

Multiple scams have been noted in the region, including some that are highly localised - and amid a rise in the Royal Borough.

These include scammers posing as parish council members via email, as happened in Burnham; or purporting to be organising specific regional activities, including a Christmas fair in Windsor – all to trick unsuspecting people out of their money.

The survey asks those filling it in what kinds of smart devices (appliances that can connect to the internet) they have in their homes.

This can include phones, smart TVs, smart fridges, lights or heating, smartwatch, Ring doorbells (or similar) and smart speakers like the Alexa.

However, it does not include computers, including tablets or laptops.

It asks if the responder has been a victim of a cybercrime. For the purposes of this survey, cybercrime is defined as any illegal online behaviour which has a negative impact on someone.

This could be the theft of money or personal information, such as email logins, or identity information, like passport details or a home address.

Cybercrime can include, among other examples:

• Email scams, asking for personal information, or containing harmful links that steal personal information

• Romance fraud (someone pretending to be romantically interested in the victim, to trick them into handing over money to 'help' the scammer with fictional personal problems)

• ‘Revenge porn’ (the sharing of graphic or intimate images without the subject's permission)

• Text scams

• Identity theft

• Online harassment or cyberstalking

• Hacking of PC and social media.

Scams such as misleading phone calls from people pretending to be from a real company, selling goods that don’t exist or door-to-door scams are not included in the scope of this survey.

It also asks a few questions about protections on devices, like antivirus software, and how you use devices (to pay bills, for example).

Lastly, the survey asks for your opinion on what help should be available and from which professional body.

All responses are anonymous. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete.

The closing date is December 15. Complete it at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YDXX9GB