A new public-facing cyber hub – set up to help people in Scotland affected by cyber fraud and crime – has received a ‘substantial’ donation from Arnold Clark.
The Cyber and Fraud Hub – launched earlier this year by the Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland – received the ‘generous’ support from the Glasgow-headquartered motor trader to help sustain its operations over the next two years.
Since launching in June 2024, the Hub has provided advice and support to 40 individuals affected by the growing threat of cyber and fraud crime, has worked on fraud cases worth £228,000, and has helped recover £87,000 so far for victims.
Among the most common calls received by the Hub include those from victims of false investment frauds commonly seen on social media channels, or authorised push payment frauds (APP) where victims are tricked into sending money to a fraudsters’ bank account, often by a criminal impersonating someone from a bank security team.
The donation will allow the Hub to continue to grow its operational capacity and it expects to help hundreds more through education, victim support and recovery of funds.
Arnold Clark – one of Britain’s largest car retailers – suffered a major cyberattack in December 2022, which led to customer data being leaked on the dark web by the ransomware gang Play.
Eddie Hawthorn, CEO of Arnold Clark, said: “I know personally how much damage and distress cyberattacks cause and we wanted to help people going through this – the way we have chosen to do this is support the Cyber and Fraud Hub, to increase the fantastic support they can give to victims when they need it most.”
Jude McCorry, CEO of Cyber and Fraud Centre, said: “This funding from Arnold Clark represents a major step forward in collectively addressing the growing threat of cyber and fraud crime. It enables the Hub to provide essential assistance to individuals facing the daunting reality of being a victim of these types of crime. The impact can be enormous both mentally and financially – this funding allows us to extend our services to those in need.”
We are immensely grateful to Arnold Clark for their generous support of the Cyber and Fraud Hub. With this funding, we can hit the ground running and will have a huge direct impact on the support we can deliver immediately.”
If you, or someone you know, has been a victim of cyber or fraud crime, you can call the Cyber and Fraud Hub on 0808 281 3580, or visit https://cyberfraudhub.org.