Fraud across the UK reached unprecedented levels in 2025, with more than 444,000 cases recorded to the NFD, according to the latest Fraudscape report from Cifas.
The figures represent the highest annual total ever recorded by the organisation and mark a 6% increase compared with 2024. The data highlights the accelerating scale of financial crime as criminals increasingly exploit technological advances and cross-border networks to expand their operations.
Members of Cifas reported more than 1,200 fraud incidents every day throughout the year, preventing an estimated £2.4bn in potential financial losses. A significant proportion of these cases were linked to identity-based crimes, with 72% of all filings involving identity fraud or facility takeover. The findings illustrate how criminals are increasingly leveraging stolen or compromised personal information as a gateway to wider financial harm.
The report indicates that fraudulent activity is becoming more sophisticated as threat actors adapt to economic and technological changes. The rise of artificial intelligence and generative tools has enabled criminals to produce convincing impersonations, synthetic identities and fraudulent documents at speed and scale. At the same time, fraud is becoming increasingly international, with organised crime groups targeting multiple sectors across borders.
Cifas CEO Mike Haley said, “Our data and intelligence show how fraud is being industrialised, with AI accelerating crime that is increasingly digital, organised and international. Fraud must be treated as a national enforcement priority. Closing the gap requires decisive action, robust disruption of criminal networks, and greater sharing of cross-sector data and intelligence to stop fraud at the source.”
One of the fastest-growing threats highlighted in the report is facility, or account, takeover fraud. More than 78,000 such cases were recorded in 2025, accounting for 18% of all entries in the NFD and representing a 6% rise compared with the previous year.
The majority of these cases were linked to mobile phone products, followed by online retail accounts and personal credit cards. Together, these sectors made up around 90% of all account takeover incidents. The report also revealed a sharp increase in unauthorised SIM swaps, which rose 38% during the year as criminals exploited stolen personal data and increasingly automated attack techniques.
Criminals are also adopting more covert strategies to avoid detection. These include disabling security alerts, gradually modifying account information and using AI-enhanced phishing or credential-stuffing attacks to gain access to customer accounts.
Identity fraud continues to represent the most common category of financial crime reported to the database. More than 242,000 identity fraud cases were recorded in 2025, accounting for 54% of all fraud-risk incidents logged by Cifas members.
Although this figure represents a slight 3% decline compared with the previous year, the report notes that the shift reflects changing criminal tactics rather than a reduction in the overall threat. Criminals are increasingly moving from traditional identity fraud toward account takeover attacks, particularly targeting telecoms services and mobile phone products.
However, some sectors saw significant growth in identity fraud. Cases involving bank accounts rose more than 10%, surpassing 63,000 incidents, while identity fraud targeting insurance products increased 26% to more than 16,000 cases.
Another notable trend identified in the report is the surge in misuse of facility cases. More than 106,000 incidents were recorded in 2025, representing a 43% increase compared with the previous year and one of the most dramatic rises among all fraud types.
Cifas also recorded more than 22,000 incidents under a newly introduced category covering money mule activity. These cases affect a broad range of financial services, including personal and business bank accounts, credit cards, prepaid cards and money transfer facilities.
Money mule recruitment continues to evolve, with criminal groups using social media and online marketplaces to target potential recruits. Tactics frequently include fake job offers, supposed business opportunities or schemes where sellers are intentionally overpaid for goods in order to move illicit funds.
Cifas director of intelligence Stephen Dalton said, “Rising cases reflect both the scale of offending and improved reporting by organisations. Criminals are shifting to more subtle methods such as credential stuffing, SIM swaps, and gradual profile changes, to evade detection.
“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.”
The growing scale of fraud has also drawn attention from UK law enforcement agencies. Nick Sharp, deputy director of fraud at the National Crime Agency, highlighted the broader societal impact of financial crime.
Nick Sharp said, “Fraud now makes up 45% of all crime in England and Wales and we are all too aware of the devastating harm it causes to victims. This is why it is recognised as a National Security and Serious Organised Crime risk in the UK.
“The NCA is continuing to strengthen its leadership and response to the threat of fraud, with convictions by UK law enforcement up 27% since 2022 and increasing examples of international engagement helping increase our ability to tackle the problem when it comes from overseas.
“Fraudscape continues to be an invaluable source of information and intelligence that helps us maximise our understanding of the threat and where we can best direct our operational efforts.”
The report ultimately underscores the growing urgency for stronger collaboration between financial institutions, technology providers and law enforcement agencies as fraud continues to evolve at scale.
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