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Join Which? MoneyFraud levels hit record high: how to stay safe from scams
Bank and credit account fraud was the main driver this year
Josh is an award-nominated journalist with nearly a decade of experience, including writing for national newspapers. A data whizz, he specialises in covering personal finance and investing.
There were a record 4.5m fraud incidents in England and Wales in the year ending June 2026, the highest number of incidents since comparable records began in 2017.
This all-time high represented an 11% increase compared with the previous 12 months, according to the ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales.
The same report also saw a 23% increase in reported computer misuse, which covers hacking, malware and other attempts to extort individuals using computer software. The year to June saw an estimated 817,000 incidents (up from 663,000 the previous year).
However, the survey also saw continued decreases in both theft and violent crime, in line with longer-term trends for those offences.
Here, we break down the different types of fraud offences and the characteristics of fraud victims, and explain how you can stay safe from scams.
Leading fraud offences
The increase in fraud incidents was mostly driven by a 13% rise in bank and credit account fraud, which usually involves falsely obtaining personal bank or payment card details to carry out fraudulent transactions. The survey recorded 2.8m incidents for the year.
The other leading fraud offences included consumer/retail fraud (1.1m incidents), which covers scam calls and purchased goods which fail to show up, as well as advance fee fraud (447,000 incidents), where a person claims to be in a position of authority such as a banking representative and demands a transfer of money.
Leading computer misuse offences included unauthorised access to personal information (689,000 incidents), such as phishing attempts, and cases related to computer viruses (127,000 incidents).
Bank and credit account fraud has seen a dramatic increase
- Find out more: how to protect yourself from fraud.
Who are scammers targeting?
Some 7.8% of individuals in England and Wales were defrauded in the year to June, according to the survey
The report also found that women are slightly more likely to be victims than men (8.4% vs 7.2%).
People in mid-life were slightly more likely than those over 65 to be defrauded, alongside people with degrees, homeowners, wealthy individuals and parents.
‘Victims aren’t just those in retirement or those with long-term health conditions,’ commented Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at AJ Bell.
‘A large percentage of people in mid-life have fallen victim too, including 9.4% of those aged 55-64 and 9.3% of those aged 45-54. This is likely to be partly because these are the wealth-building periods of our life.
‘At this point, we interact with more banks and tend to borrow more on credit cards. Given that bank and credit card fraud makes up the overwhelming majority of fraud, it means more opportunity for fraudsters to make an approach.’
- Find out more: how to get your money back after a scam.
Typical payment scams
We've previously warned about authorised push payment (APP) fraud, where you're manipulated into sending money to a scammer by bank transfer, and Which? has campaigned hard to get the retail banks to reimburse faultless victims.
A typical example of this type of scam starts with a cold call from a fraudster pretending to be from your bank's security team, the police or the financial regulator. They tell you that your account is under attack to make you panic.
You might be told to move funds to a 'safe account' you hold with a different bank to escape notice or if the criminal believes that provider has weaker controls. These 'me-to-me' transfers aren't covered by APP fraud reimbursement rules because the payments are deemed to be to an account you control.
But scammers may have already stolen your card details and other data through phishing or a data breach, meaning they can trigger payments and ask you to approve them in your app, pretending this will 'reverse' or 'block' fraudulent attempts.
Money often passes through e-money and cryptocurrency wallets where it disappears for good.
Or, scammers might convince you to share one-time passcodes (OTPs) to add your card to their own digital wallet and go on a contactless spending spree.
We've called on providers to improve defences and publish data on card fraud, as well as pushing them to widen their reimbursement policies.
5 top tips to protect yourself from scams
1. Have you been contacted out of the blue?
Cold calls or unexpected emails or messages should raise suspicion, especially if you’re asked to give personal or payment details. If you're not 100% convinced about the identity of the caller, hang up and contact the company directly.
2. Have you been asked to share personal details?
Never share your personal details with anyone if you can't confirm they are who they say they are. You should also be wary of anyone who asks you to pay in an unusual way, such as through Western Union or by using Cryptocurrency.
3. Are the contact details vague?
Scam websites often have vague contact details. Remember that legitimate companies will have a place of business, phone number or email address you can contact. Sometimes scammers also use premium rate numbers (starting 09, 118, 087, 084, 091 or 098) to squeeze every penny they can out of you.
4. Is the offer too good to be true?
Scams will often promise high returns for very little financial commitment. They may even say that a deal is too good to miss. If a deal seems too good to be true, it inevitably is.
5. Are you being pressured to make a decision?
Fraudsters often try to hurry your decision making. Don’t let anyone make you feel under pressure – it’s OK to take a break and think things through if you’re not sure. It's also a common technique for scammers to use a countdown timer on scam websites to pile on further pressure.
- Find out more: spot and protect yourself from scams.
