Fraud victims in England and Wales rise 10% to 3.8 million
New data shows fraud victims in England and Wales increased by 10% to 3.8 million, with criminals using AI to commit fraud.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 3.8 million people in England and Wales fell victim to fraud in the last financial year, a 10% increase on the previous year. Fraud is now the most common crime in the UK, accounting for around four in every ten offences and costing the economy billions of pounds.
The annual report from the body representing financial organisations revealed that scammers stole £1.3 billion last year. Criminals are becoming more sophisticated, using artificial intelligence to clone voices of trusted people, including family members and authority figures, and to create deepfake investment adverts featuring BBC presenters that appear on social media.
One of the most alarming increases has been in romance scams, where fraudsters use fake identities and elaborate means to gain someone's trust and affection, often online. The advice to the public remains unchanged: stop, do not feel rushed or pressured, give yourself time to think before answering, clicking, or doing anything, and challenge people if you feel you have fallen victim. Anyone who believes they have been scammed should report it.
Belinda from Grantham lost her life savings to someone claiming to be a fraud advisor. She described how the caller had all her details, including the last three digits on her card, and bamboozled her into approving a transaction. 'He was bamboozling me completely and but it's sped up now what he was saying. So all the time he was hammering at me telling me, you know, you've got to do this. You've got to do this. This is how you do it, you know, trust me. We're not touching it. It's you that's doing it,' she said. After the call, there was not a penny left in her account, not even enough to pay her electricity bill.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| 3.8 million people in England and Wales fell victim to fraud in the last financial year, a 10% increase. | |
| Criminals are using AI to clone voices and create deepfake adverts. | |
| Scammers stole £1.3 billion last year. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel focused on the human impact of fraud, using a detailed victim story to illustrate the emotional and financial devastation. It also highlighted the role of AI in making scams more sophisticated, and ended with practical advice for the public. The tone was empathetic and cautionary, with less emphasis on policy or political responses.
- “He was bamboozling me completely and but it's sped up now what he was saying”
- “I didn't even have the money to leave in the account to pay the bill for the electorate that that month”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.