Record fraud cases in the UK as AI increases the scale of scams, Cifas warns

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Fraud in the United Kingdom reached record levels in 2025, according to the latest Fraudscape 2026 report from fraud prevention non-profit organization Cifas. With criminals using AI to escalate the scale and complexity of scams, fraud now accounts for 45% of all crime in England and Wales.

The report found that over 444,000 fraud cases had been recorded in the UK’s National Fraud Database in 2025, marking the highest annual total on record. Cifas members also recorded over 1,200 cases of fraud each day and prevented an estimated £2.4 billion (approx. $3.1 billion) in fraud losses.

Identity fraud remains the most common type of fraud in the UK, with 242,003 cases recorded in 2025, accounting for 54% of all filings of fraud cases to the National Fraud Database. 

While identity fraud fell slightly year-on-year, Cifas notes this is a sign of how fraudsters are adapting to exploit changes in behavior and technology. Criminals are increasingly using AI and generative technologies to create deepfakes and synthetic identities to accelerate the scale of fraud.

Overall, identity fraud and account takeover account for 72% of all reported cases. Cifas also noted that fraud had become more international in scale, with organized criminal syndicates operating highly sophisticated global scam networks.

The report highlights a sharp rise in the misuse of accounts, with more than 106,000 cases of facility misuse recorded, a 43% increase from 2024. Over 22,000 incidents of money muling were also reported.

Director of Intelligence at Cifas, Stephen Dalton, said:

Rising cases reflect both the scale of offending and improved reporting by organisations. … We anticipate more use of AI to personalise attacks and build credible, long-term profiles – reinforcing the need for cross-sector collaboration to spot patterns earlier.