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Sun, 14 Jun 2026

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 Surge in scams as fraudsters use AI to target people

On average, nearly eight cases of fraud in which money is stolen are reported in the UK every minute.

* Over 4 million cases of fraud reported in the UK last year, with nearly 8 cases per minute on average
* £1.3bn stolen by scammers in 2025, a surge from over 1 million more cases than two years prior
* Fraudsters use AI to manipulate people and even marry victims of romance scams to steal more money
* Victims often suffer emotional harm, guilt, and shame in addition to financial loss
* Scams are not limited to online dating sites, with scammers also using fake profiles on social media to target victims
* Experts believe the majority of scams go unreported, so actual numbers are likely much higher
* Banks and experts call for tech companies to step up monitoring and security on their platforms
* New figures reveal a 19% increase in authorised push payment (APP) fraud losses last year, with £12bn not reimbursed
* Scammers adapt tactics, predicting a surge in scams related to the men's football World Cup
* Experts point out that victims are often targeted at vulnerable moments, making them more susceptible to being scammed