Small business owners across Merseyside are being urged to sign up to a free, pioneering cyber security training scheme, as demand for places continues to grow.
In the past year alone, thousands of business owners across our region have been left counting the cost of online fraud and cyber-attacks, many of which could have been prevented if a few extra steps had been taken to protect their organisations online.
Figures from Action Fraud showed there were 7,182 reports of fraud or cyber-attacks in Merseyside with reported losses of £28.6m over the last year.
Using money and assets seized from criminals through the Proceeds of Crime Act, the Merseyside Cyber Security Programme is funded by Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell and Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.
Utilising the specialist knowledge of the North West Cyber Resilience Centre (NWCRC,) the initiative was launched last August, offering 300 businesses access to a wealth of guidance and free training to increase their knowledge around online safety.
The programme is designed to help business owners to tackle the growing threat posed by cyber-attacks from phishing or malware attacks, making it more difficult for them to be targeted by fraudsters and reducing the number of potential victims.
Due to popular demand, spaces on the course are now limited, with less than a sixth of those 300 places remaining, meaning anyone wishing to book their place is advised to do so as soon as possible or risk missing out.
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “Prevention is key when it comes to tackling the growing threat of cybercrime. For business owners, the knowledge and skills our free cyber security training gives them has the power to protect their organisations, so I’m delighted so many have already signed up for a place.
We want to make sure every one of the 300 spaces on this course is used, so I would urge any owners of small or medium sized businesses who haven’t yet secured their space to get in touch.
Any one of us can be a potential victim of cybercrime. That’s why it’s vitally important we do all that we can to provide education and guidance to business owners, empowering them to keep themselves, their businesses, their employees and their customers safe online.
We are funding this course using money recovered from criminals, protecting those who may be vulnerable, lessening the devastating impact on victims and demonstrating once again, that crime doesn’t pay.”
Detective Inspector John Black, head of the Cyber Dependent Crime Unit at Merseyside Police, said: “Cybercrime often requires complex investigations and in the last year since the Merseyside Cyber Security Programme was launched, our cybercrime unit has investigated a wide variety of cases affecting businesses, ranging from the unauthorised accessing of customer data by ex-employees through to ransomware attacks.
Most notably, our cybercrime unit tracked down a teenage phone hacker who stole £66,551 from a woman and five companies using PayPal. Following a 16-month investigation, in September last year, the offender was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court and given a 12-month jail term, suspended for a year.
We are relentless in our pursuit of cybercriminals, but prevention is an important part of tackling cybercrime, so we encourage small and medium-sized businesses in Merseyside to sign up for one of the remaining places on the training programme. The training is free, and businesses can learn how to help protect their data and assets and prevent the sort of financial loss that we have seen some suffer as a result of a cyber-attack.”
DI Dan Giannasi, head of cyber and innovation at the NWCRC, who has been seconded from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “We’ve been incredibly pleased with how many businesses are taking up the free training places. It’s been great to see how we’ve supported organisations on their cyber security journey and the feedback from the businesses has been excellent.
It’s so important for us to continue working on preventative action and education around the growing threats of cybercrime to businesses.”
The free programme includes a one-to-one session for each business to help them understand how to stay secure against cyber criminals and fraudsters. It also includes a free membership to the NWCRC, so that businesses can stay up to date with the fast-changing world of cybercrime.
The programme was launched at Liverpool ACC with Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram, in August 2023.
A Government report ‘The cost of cybercrime’ estimates that attacks cost the UK economy £27bn per year. Half of all businesses and a third of charities in the UK reported that they had experienced a cyber breach or attack within the last 12 months.
To sign up, visit: https://www.nwcrc.co.uk/merseyside