Report Fraud: what does this new era of fraud reporting mean?

It's a new year and a brand new identity for national scam reporting centre Action Fraud, which now goes by the name Report Fraud. But what will the upgrade really mean for fraud victims? 

Report Fraud is the new national service promising to transform how victims and businesses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland report cybercrime and fraud.

Here, we dive into how the new service will work and ponder whether the new technology will translate into better outcomes for fraud victims. 

How will Report Fraud work?

It will be run by the City of London Police, which ran Action Fraud, and describes Report Fraud as a 'landmark step forward'. 

The new gateway has three key aims:

• Reduce the burden on victims when they report fraud and cybercrime,
• Provide clearer advice and reassurance, and 
• Generate richer intelligence.

Action Fraud's old systems have been scrapped and replaced with a shiny new backend system designed to improve analysis of reports. Users should be signposted to other agencies (such as HMRC) where relevant. 

All police forces will have access to this system, and more serious and complex cases will be identified for specialist investigation.

How do I report fraud?

If you're in England, Northern Ireland or Wales, you should report incidents of fraud and cybercrime to Report Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 (unchanged) or filling in a form at reportfraud.police.uk (the old website actionfraud.police.uk will redirect you to the new one).

You can also report fraud incidents on behalf of others, as before. You'll continue to receive a crime reference number and updates by email or post.

Scotland is expected to join Report Fraud in 2026, but for now, report to Police Scotland by calling 101.

If you come across a suspicious website, you can report it to both Report Fraud and the National Cyber Security Centre. 

Will we see an end to 'Inaction Fraud'?

While the service was long overdue for a makeover, it’s perhaps not the most reassuring rebrand. 

Often dubbed ‘Inaction Fraud’, the national reporting platform for England, Northern Ireland and Wales was widely criticised for being difficult to use and slow to respond.

A scathing Justice Committee report in 2022 deemed it unfit for purpose, prompting the Home Office to fund the development of a new service. 

It’s no exaggeration to say that fraud is an epidemic, yet only a tiny fraction of victims report it to the relevant authorities, and prosecutions are woefully low. 

Why do victims fail to report fraud?

The Office for National Statistics estimates that there were 4.1m fraud incidents in England and Wales in the year to June 2025, outstripping the combined volume of thefts and violence. Yet Action Fraud captured only 302,280 reports in the same period. 

When Which? surveyed 1,012 fraud victims in 2024, most people (63%) said that they had told their banks about the incident, but far fewer had reported it to Action Fraud (19%) or the police (16%), and 10% didn’t tell any relevant authorities at all. 

When we delved into why, 31% didn’t know they could report to Action Fraud and 28% didn’t know how. Furthermore, 13% dismissed their loss as too trivial or felt too embarrassed to report it. 

Time will tell whether Report Fraud can remove these barriers. 

Fraudsters can't continue to get away with it 

Underlying these barriers is the wearying knowledge that fraudsters are getting away with it. 

Only 0.1% of reports recorded by Action Fraud in the year to March 2025 were passed on to police forces for investigation, and only 3% of fraud cases across all police forces in the UK resulted in an offender being charged or prosecuted. 

The rebranded Report Fraud aims to provide a better experience for victims and improve the quality of information sent to law enforcement. You should still use it if you lose money to a scam, not least because banks may need a crime reference number to process your reimbursement claim. 

But fixing this requires more than a rebrand – it demands a whole new way of thinking. 

Which? has long called for standardised reporting processes and mandatory data sharing across the organisations being used by fraudsters, including online platforms, telecoms companies and payment service providers. 

Most fraud originates online, including major social media sites and search engines, which are covered by the new Online Safety Act. Yet the full implementation of this legislation has been delayed by Ofcom. It must work faster to protect the public and ensure big tech is held accountable.