The latest police annual crime report has indicated that at least shs72.1 billion was lost to criminals in 2024.
The report released on Wednesday morning indicated that the shs72.1billion was as a result of shs474 cases reported to police countrywide, depicting a 93.5% increase from the number of cases in this category reported in 2023.
“Cybercrimes led to a loss of shs72.1 billion, out of which, shs420 million was recovered,” the police report indicated.
The report also indicated that by the end of the year, 67 cases were taken to court, 97 cases were not proceeded with while 310 cases are still under inquiry.
Out of the total cases taken to court, 21 cases secured convictions, seven cases were dismissed, while 39 cases are still pending in court.
The report paints a grim picture of what cybercrimes are doing in using the internet to steal money but also indicates this crime is on the rise.
Banks have been highlighted as being a higher target of cybercriminals.
For example, last year, it was reported that a commercial bank headquartered in Kampala had lost at least shs5.5 billion in two separate incidents of computer fraud carried out in less than a year.