The Charity Commission has updated its guidance on cyber crime to make it more simplified and concise, the regulator has said.

A smaller fraud prevention guide has also been published which has restructured the regulator’s past advice and put it all in one place.

New data from the regulator shows it opened 603 fraud cases and 99 cyber crime cases last year.

The guidance has been developed with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and its small charity guide.

The guide, which has been published during Charity Fraud Awareness Week, provides links to free online training modules designed for charities of all sizes. 

“The fraud guide explains what to do if fraud or attempted fraud is discovered at a charity and provides tips on how to reduce the risk of fraud taking place,” the regulator said.

“It explains the importance of having robust internal financial controls and signposts to the commission’s more detailed guide about this.”

The regulator’s casework identified phishing as the most common type of cyber crime experienced by charities.

“The commission’s cyber crime guidance seeks to help charities protect themselves from this ongoing threat,” the regulator said.

“It sets out the importance of establishing an internal culture of fraud and cyber crime awareness.”

The regulator said both guides on cyber crime and fraud highlight the importance of reporting all fraud attempts, including those that failed, to Action Fraud.

Mazeda Alam, head of guidance and practice at the Charity Commission, said: “Protecting your charity from fraud and cyber crime can understandably seem daunting, but there are many small, inexpensive steps charities can take to reduce the risk of any potential internal or external fraudster being successful.

“Introducing a simple measure such as having dual authorisation for all financial transactions can help avoid these issues arising – which are often opportunistic.  

 “It is every trustee’s responsibility to ensure they’ve done all they reasonably can to protect their charity from harm – reading our guidance is the best place to start.”

The regulator’s guides on cyber crime and fraud prevention can be found on its website.