Online shopping fraud cost consumers more than £56 million last year, marking a rise of 20%.

Consumers reported 68,000 cases of online shopping fraud in the 2023-24 financial year, with losses totalling more than £56.3 million, according to data from Action Fraud obtained by the Lib Dems through a Freedom of Information request.

This is compared to £46.6 million of losses in the previous year to fraudulent online shopping scams and some 66,000 cases reported.

Action Fraud describes online shopping fraud as “shopping scams that rely on the anonymity of the internet”.

The Lib Dems are calling for a national Online Crime Agency to be set up to deal with crimes such as personal fraud and threats and incitement to violence on social media.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Criminals are preying on vulnerable people with frauds and scams online on an industrial scale.

“Yet the last Conservative Government sat on its hands and let these fraudsters get away with it.

“People have lost eye-watering amounts of money to online fraudsters and we urgently need real action to stop them.

“Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to set up a new Online Crime Agency to tackle fraud, bring these vile criminals to justice, and free up police time to focus on keeping our communities safe.

Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, based out of the City of London police.