UK Fraud Hits Record High

Fraud across the UK has reached record levels, with over 444,000 cases reported in 2025 – a 6% increase on the previous year. This equates to more than 1,200 fraud incidents every day, highlighting the scale of the threat.

What’s driving the increase?

Criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to:

• Create convincing fake identities and documents
• Carry out more sophisticated phishing attacks
• Automate fraud attempts at scale

Fraud is also becoming more organised and international, making it harder to detect and prevent.

Key trends to be aware of:

• Identity fraud remains the biggest risk, accounting for over half of all cases.
• Account takeover continues to rise, particularly in mobile phones and online services.
• SIM swap fraud has increased significantly, enabling criminals to access accounts and bypass security checks.
• Money mule activity is growing, with individuals recruited via social media and job scams.

You can read more about the latest figures by visiting the CIFAS website: hps://www.cifas.org.uk/newsroom/fraudscape2026

If you think you have been the victim of fraud, you can report it to Report Fraud (the new name for Action Fraud)

Other useful articles can be found in our Counter Fraud Newsletters on the Publications page.