LONDON, Dec. 10, 2020plineis delighted to have been awarded £10,000 in National Lotteryfunding to support its work providing emergency assistance to victims of cybercrime and cyberstalking in the UK. The helpline provides free and confidential nationwide support, using a team of volunteer cybersecurity experts and ensures 24/7 support through its online chatbot.
The Cyber Helpline will use the National Lottery funds to support the costs of running the service at a time when demand has exploded, as cybercrime and online abuse increases during COVID-19. It will invest in the chatbot technology that enables the service to scale and tailor assistance to a new wave of threats being seen since the start of the pandemic. Additionally, this funding will support onboarding of new volunteers to add to its team of cybersecurity experts, which act as Helpline Responders to solve live cybercrime issues.
The Cyber Helpline has been running for several years and has a team of 50 volunteers. It was founded by Rory Innes after he realised that there was a major gap in support for victims of cybercrime 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. With 58,000 people working in information security in the UK, primarily in the private sector, there is a major opportunity to connect victims to experts to help alleviate the significant emotional and financial burden of attacks.
The Cyber Helpline helps around 400 victims every month, addressing issues including cyberstalking; lost devices; hacked accounts; online bullying and harassment; and sextortion. With the helpline's assistance, victims can take back control in the wake of an attack and learn how to secure their online lives once more.
The new funding is from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK. This funding will enable The Cyber Helpline to help more UK victims of cybercrime, providing direct and practical assistance which alleviates both the emotional and financial burden of attacks.
Rory Innes, founder of The Cyber Helpline, says: "We're delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to support hundreds more victims of cybercrime in the UK and alleviate the severe emotional and financial burden caused by these attacks. At a time when the country is going through a national lockdown and economic hardship amid redundancies and closed businesses, we see our mission of creating a country where the cyber criminals do not win as more important than ever."
The personal impact for individual victims helped by this money will be far-reaching. The Cyber Helpline recently worked with Linda, a victim of cyberstalking, to provide specialised advice to ensure she was safe and to protect her digital environment from her assailant. Linda's testimonial after the case was resolved was, "Stalking is like slow murder. It is a terrible experience and one I felt I would never escape. The Cyber Helpline team helped me navigate an online world I just didn't understand. The way you worked in unison with the other parties involved and had a clear plan made me feel safe. I knew I was in good hands. Keep up the good work, this is a vital service for other stalking victims like me."
Funding from the National Lottery will enable The Cyber Helpline to help more UK victims like Linda alleviate the emotional and financial burden of attacks.
Cybersecurity provider, Saepio Information Security, has recently completed a virtual 5K fundraising run to raise over £1,000 for The Cyber Helpline. "The team at Saepio is incredibly passionate about giving back and we are proud to support The Cyber Helpline," says Andrew Pitt, Director of Saepio. "We are committed to raising awareness for this meaningful cause, which helps members of the public who fall victim to cybercrime - from ransomware attacks, to hacked email accounts and cyber bullying."
Additional recent support for The Cyber Helpline has come from the Girdlers' Company Court, who donated from the trust's Jock French Charitable Fund to help grow the team of front-line volunteers.
Contact
Lizzie Clitheroe, The Cyber Helpline, lizzie@thecyberhelpline.com
About The National Lottery Community Fund
We are the largest community funder in the UK - we're proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.
We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people's lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We're privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
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About The Cyber Helpline
The Cyber Helpline is a non-profit organisation with a mission to provide victims of cybercrime with immediate, free access to cyber expertise when they need it. It provides a 24/7 confidential helpline for individuals, helping them to understand, contain, recover and learn from cyberattacks. The Cyber Helpline assists around 400 victims per month by linking them with volunteer cybersecurity experts who provide specialised advice and guidance. The Cyber Helpline has appeared on ITV's Tonight Show and is funded by the National Lottery's Community Fund.
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