Great News: Funding of The Cyber Helpline from the National Lottery will Help More UK Citizens Targeted by Cybercrime and Online Harassment
We are delighted to announce that The Cyber Helpline has been awarded £10,000 in National Lottery funding to support its work with victims of cybercrime in the UK.
Our service is completely free, therefore funding such as this is absolutely vital for the helpline to be able to run.
The Cyber Helpline announced the news about National Lottery funding on social media earlier this week.
How will The Cyber Helpline use the National Lottery money?
The Cyber Helpline will use the National Lottery funds to support the costs of running the service at a time when the demand has exploded. Our unique model uses a mix of technology and a team of volunteers to provide 24/7 support, and this funding will cover costs to bring on new volunteers and to cover the costs of our chatbot.
The economic and emotional hardships brought about by the pandemic have exacerbated many of the issues that we deal with, therefore we are incredibly grateful for this emergency COVID-19 funding from the National Lottery.
Supporting Victims of Cybercrime
There is a major gap in support for victims of cybercrime currently in the UK, with the police and Action Fraud lacking the resources and expertise to support victims of cybercrime. Millions of people are falling through the gaps, which is why we need financial support to ensure the continued success of this non-profit service. We are the only initiative which taps into the expertise of information security experts working in the private sector in the UK, by connecting them directly to victims to help resolve cyberattacks and online abuse.
We are currently helping around 400 victims every month - with the most common reasons for people contacting the helpline including lost devices, hacked accounts, online bullying and harassment and sextortion. Our vision is for a UK where the cybercriminals don’t win, so we work directly with victims to help them take back control of their digital security in the wake of attacks.
Thank you, National Lottery!
Thanks so much to the National Lottery Community Fund (and those who play the lottery) for this valuable support! It’s great to be included in one of the many good causes this money goes to. As a result, we will see hundreds more cybercrime victims in our country receive the direct and practical assistance that they deserve when they have come under attack.