OVER 80 per cent of people are not sufficiently protected online with cybercrime victims losing on average £236, research released ahead of a major conference has found.

Tony Neate, chief executive officer of Get Safe Online, said if it was calculated in relation to the population it could mean a "staggering" £1.5 billion was lost to criminal networks last year.

Mr Neate’s comments come ahead of his appearance as a speaker at a major cyber crime conference being staged by Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police in partnership with the University of Worcester on Monday, September 8.

He said: “We are living in a time of technological transformation and as more and more traditional services move online we will see an increase in attacks from cyber criminals.

“It is vital for people and organisations to realise the dangers they face online and the damaging effect cyber crime can have on their lives and business operations.

"Conferences like this are a great way to help educate people and organisations on how to better protect themselves because cyber crime is a very real threat.”

Leading experts in cyber crime will come together for the day -long conference at University of Worcester Arena.

The event will feature talks from educators, law enforcement and businesses and the audience will test and improve their knowledge by taking part in a quiz and workshop.

There will also be a Question Time-style debate involving a panel of experts.

For more information or to book a place please email Julia Dale on Julia.dale@westmercia.pnn.police.uk

Basic security measures for all computer users include:

• Download latest software and anti-virus updates.

• Use complex passwords.

• Never download something if you don’t know its origin.

• Delete suspicious emails before opening.

• When buying online, check for the padlock to know it’s secure.