The largest ever regional cybercrime survey has revealed more than one million people could have fallen victim to cybercrime in the South East in 2015.

There were more than 11,600 responses to the survey conducted by Mr Hurley’s office, as part of its new Local Cybercrime Profile to be published shortly, which will provide an evidence base for local preventative work.

In the first in-depth look at residents’ experiences and perceptions of cybercrime, 29 per cent of those responding reported losing money to scammers, with some losing more than £1,000 in a matter of seconds.

Very few people report cybercrimes to Action Fraud or the police, masking the scale of the problem.

Det Insp Andy Haslam, head of the joint Surrey and Sussex Cyber Crime Unit, said: “These results are extremely important as for the first time it gives us an idea of how people are affected by cyber crime.

“They confirm what we are already seeing in that online crime is affecting a large proportion of society, but offences are going vastly un-reported.

“You can actually play the biggest part in preventing yourself from becoming a victim, just by taking some very simple steps for instance by using strong passwords, checking your social media privacy settings, and keeping anti-virus software up to date.

“You should also never click on links in emails if you are unfamiliar with the sender, or open attachments if you’re not expecting them.”

• Read the HMIC report at www.justiceinspectorates .gov.uk and follow the links to PEEL: Police legitimacy 2015. The cybercrime survey report can be found at www.cybersafesurrey.org/ surveyresults