There were 13,343 cases of social media and email hacking last year, according to research which analysed data across 43 police forces in England and Wales.

The data, obtained from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau and analysed by AddictiveTips.com, found that the accumulative financial loss that victims suffered was more than £3.5 million.

The London-based Metropolitan Police saw the highest number of social media and email hacking cases between January and December, with 2,357 cases reported in the capital.

The collective financial loss for the region was £1.8 million, equivalent to £764 per case.

West Midlands Police had the next highest number of incidences at 630 and those who fell prey to the crime in the West Midlands incurred a collective financial loss of £382,000.

Thames Valley Police were in third place with 547 reported cases of social media and email hacking from January to December 2020 and from those who were targeted, the financial loss equated to £43,400; that is comparable to a personal loss of £79 for each individual case.

Last year April was the worst month overall, with 1,449 cases in total, followed by May with 1,358 cases. September saw the least number of cases at 870.

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