Media centre
Independent, expert and data-informed insights and commentary on cybercrime, digital fraud and online harm.
The Cyber Helpline is an award-winning charity that provides free, expert help for victims of cybercrime and online harm in the UK and USA. As an organisation helping victims on the frontline we have a unique view of what crimes individuals are facing, how cybercrimes are being carried out, the impact on victims and what needs to be done to support victims. We also have insight and opinion on the state of victim support and cybercrime readiness in the UK. Some of our service users are happy to speak to the press - mostly anonymously - and share their stories.
Our experts
Rory Innes, our Founder & CEO, Charlotte Hooper, our COO and Demelza Luna R., Head of Safeguarding and VAWG, do the vast majority of our press work and public speaking. Across The Cyber Helpline we also have a range of experts who can speak authoritatively on all types of cybercrime and online harm. All of our insight, commentary, and opinion is completely independent and comes from our experience of supporting victims and operating in this space.
Rory Innes, Founder & CEO
Rory has spent his whole career in cybersecurity and has worked for leading global cybersecurity companies in a range of senior management positions. As The Cyber Helpline’s CEO, Rory is responsible for the strategic direction, performance and operational effectiveness of The Cyber Helpline. Rory often provides comment & opinion for the press and has appeared on live TV or documentaries providing expert opinion on cybercrime. He also sits on the Mayor of London’s Victim Reference Group.
His areas of expertise include the cybercrime & online harm challenges in the UK, the threat landscape and trends in the UK, the gap in support for victims & how this could be tackled, key threat areas like cyberstalking & online harassment and the role of The Cyber Helpline.
Charlotte Hooper, Chief Operating & Impact Officer
Charlotte has been a key member of the leadership team since its inception. She holds a first-class degree in Policing and Criminal Justice and a masters degree in Cybercrime Investigation. Charlotte delivers cybercrime related training sessions around the world for police forces, victim support charities and private organisations.
Her areas of expertise include: cybercrime investigations, cybercrime law enforcement & regulation, open-source intelligence, cyberstalking & online harassment, the cybercrime & online harm threat landscape and the impact of cybercrime on victims.
Demelza Luna Reaver, Head of Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
Demelza is a cybersecurity specialist focused on technology-facilitated harm, cyberstalking and safeguarding. She has spent a large portion of her career researching and working within the field of online abuse, particularly where digital technologies intersect with intimate partner violence and stalking. As Head of Safeguarding and VAWG at The Cyber Helpline, Demelza leads strategic initiatives to protect victim-survivors of cyber harms and improve responses to technology-enabled abuse. With over a decade of experience in the charity and support sector, she combines research-led insight with operational safeguarding expertise and regularly provides commentary on cyberstalking, online coercive control, digital safety, and emerging trends in technology-facilitated abuse.
Areas of expertise: Technology-Facilitated Abuse & Coercive Control, Cyberstalking & Digital Harassment, Online Safety & Safeguarding Frameworks, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Digital Spaces, Victim-Centered Cybersecurity Responses, Policy & Operational Strategy for Online Harm, Emerging Threat Trends in Consumer Technology.
Data & trends
Over 100,000 victims have used our service and we are currently supporting around 2,500 a month. This means we have good, independent insight into:
Volumes of different types of cybercrime & scams
Trends on the types of cybercrimes & scams facing individuals in the UK and USA
Insight into new types of cybercrimes and scams
Specific data around police reporting, financial loss etc.
Up to date advice on what individuals need to do to protect themselves from current attack types
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About The Cyber Helpline
Our charity’s mission is to ensure every individual has free access to expert cybersecurity help when they need it.
We are a movement by the cybersecurity community to step in and fill the gap in support for victims of cybercrime and online harms. Our unique model allows us to harness the skills and expertise of cybersecurity professionals and change lives by helping thousands of victims a month, providing a free, confidential helpline for individuals and sole traders. We help victims understand, contain, recover and learn from cyber attacks by linking them with cybersecurity technology and experts who provide relevant advice and guidance.
Key Stats & information
Launched November 2018
Case growing at over 120% year over year
Over 150 volunteers run the helpline
> 100,000 cases since launch - circa 2,500 per month
Cyber Charity of the Year at The National Cyber Awards 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024
Awards
See the impact we’re making
Every month, we help thousands of individuals recover from cybercrime, fraud and online harm— with expert guidance from our cybersecurity volunteers.