Scamadviser Announces the 'Scamfighter of the Year'
AMSTERDAM, January 28, 2021 (Newswire.com) - The coronavirus crisis has caused a huge surge in the number of online scams. Belgium, India, New Zealand, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United States all reported increases in the number of online fraud reports between 20% and 70%.
There are numerous individuals and organizations who are contributing to the fight against online scams in their own way. This includes everyone from average consumers who are raising awareness about scams to law enforcement authorities who are actively working to put scammers behind bars. Scamadviser.com organized its 'Scamfighter of the Year' contest in an effort to recognize the various individuals and organizations who are fighting the good fight against scams.
All the nominees were chosen by users of Scamadviser.com. In all, 11 individuals and organizations each were nominated to run for the title of 'Scamfighter of the Year'. After weeks of voting, the users have picked who they think to deserves to be called the 'Scamfighter of the Year'.
Peter Depuydt, Head of Office at Europol, wins in the 'Individual' category
In the 'Individual' category, Peter Depuydt rose as the winner. For five years, Peter has been the Senior Specialist and Team leader of Europol's Analysis Project APATE. He has been a key player in developing international cooperation with non-European countries and enhancing public-private partnerships. "If it is too good to be true, it is probably a fraud. I hope this might motivate all scam fighters to continue their important work to protect victimized persons and companies all over the world", said Peter with regards to his win.
The second place in the category was a tie between Julie Wilson and James Greening. Julie maintains the Facebook page 'Scam Alert Global' which has more than 15,000 followers. James runs the blog Fake Website Buster and has published more than 200 analyses of scammy websites.
Cybercrime Support Network wins in the 'Organization' category
In the 'Organization' category, the Cybercrime Support Network (CSN) came out on top. CSN is a nonprofit collaboration created to serve individuals and small businesses impacted by cybercrime. Kristin Judge, CEO & President of CSN had the following to say, "This recognition is a testament to the mission-driven team at CSN who works every day to serve people who have been scammed and try to prevent people from being scammed. We appreciate our partners at Scamadvisor for starting this contest. Each of the organizations listed are doing great work. Together, we are making a difference."
The work done by the nominees of the 'Scamfighter of the Year' contest is of no small importance. In 2019, €36 billion was lost to online scams, with projections estimating a 40% growth in 2020. Only with continued endeavours and close cooperation can scams be prevented and scammers punished.
Source: Scamadviser (Ecommerce Foundation)
