CLAIMS have been made that cyber criminals from Russia and Eastern Europe are attacking companies across north Wales with many already becoming a victim of dark web attacks.

That was the warning from North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones to members of the North Wales Business Club.

According to the Commissioner, there’s more crime being committed in cyberspace than there is on the region’s streets, and businesses are amongst those most at risk.

Mr Jones, a retired police inspector from Harlech, said: “The front line is now online.

“Technology has provided criminals with new tools and different methods to perpetrate crime.

“Traditional crimes such as burglary, shoplifting and theft have seen a reduction over the last decade but the number of offences hasn’t reduced, it has moved online.

“Heinous crimes such as child sexual exploitation, human trafficking and modern slavery did not feature in my day to day role as a Police Inspector. Cybercrime was not a priority and received little focus.

“Having spent my first few months in office coming to understand these new crime types and the complex demands they bring, I can tell you just how different it is these days.

“There is now more crime committed online than on the streets."

Read the full story in this week’s north editions of the Cambrian News