POLICE in Gloucestershire are fully behind ‘The 12 online Frauds of Christmas’ campaign which has just been launched by The City of London Police and forces across the country to protect thousands of people in our communities from falling victim to cyber-fraudsters.

The campaign, which kicked off on ‘Black Friday’, the start of the busiest four days of internet shopping of the year, is aimed to help people stay safe throughout December and the Christmas season.

Today’s theme is ‘Cyber Monday’, urging people to guard against receiving cyber criminals who could be exploiting people's Christmas joy by sending out bogus e-cards that contain a virus or ‘malware’ that could embed into electronic devices and be used to commit fraud.

Working in partnership with the City of London Police, the National Policing Lead for Fraud, Gloucestershire Police are shining a light on the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of online shopping.

So far in 2014, 74 per cent of all adults nationwide have bought goods or services online, and this December around 50 per cent of UK citizens are expected to use the internet to buy more than half of their Christmas presents.

The good news is the majority of them will still have our presents delivered to our doorstep or into our email account without a hitch.

However, the sad reality is there will also be tens of thousands of people across the UK whose Christmas will be damaged, and in some cases destroyed, after finding out they have fallen foul of heartless criminals who specialise in tricking internet users with the promise of great online deals and big cash savings.