- A record nearly 445,000 fraud incidents were reported to the UK's fraud database in 2025, marking a six per cent increase from the previous year.
- Cifas, a fraud prevention service, highlighted that identity theft remains the most common type of fraud, accounting for a quarter of a million incidents.
- Criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence and adapting tactics, with a shift towards account takeover, which made up 18 per cent of all reports.
- Fraud now constitutes 45 per cent of all crime in England and Wales, costing the economy over £14 billion annually and affecting one in 14 adults.
- The government, Home Office, and National Crime Agency have launched a new online crime squad with a £250 million investment to combat fraud and disrupt criminal networks.
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