ORGANISED crime officers are set to deliver a webinar on Thursday to help businesses and the public following a spike in hacking during the coronaviru lockdown.

Cyber protect officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) will run the event in a bid to improve participants’ passwords and to protect their digital and online lives .

The event is part of the national policing cyber security webinar series developed in conjunction with the City of London Police.

A NWROCU spokesman said: “With many people working remotely during the lockdown, it’s important now more than ever to ensure your protection online, to avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime.

“Recently, there has been an increase in the hacking of social media and email accounts, both business and personal, making up approximately 80 per cent of all cybercrime in the North West.

“A large majority of these crimes could have been prevented if stronger passwords had been used together with two-factor authentication.”

The webinar will take place at 2pm via the platform Zoom.

To register your place for the free event or to find out how to better secure yourself online, visit https://bit.ly/3eQNZaS.