UK Launches ‘Report Fraud’ as Scams Reach New Heights

The City of London Police has officially launched Report Fraud — a unified national service designed to transform how the public reports cybercrime and fraud across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The new platform aims to strengthen the UK’s response to digital scams and economic crime.

Cybercrime and fraud now make up around half of all crime in the UK, with losses running into billions of pounds annually, the force said.

Report Fraud consolidates reporting, intelligence triage, and victim support, enabling faster sharing of data with law enforcement and industry partners — from banks to tech firms — to disrupt criminal networks more efficiently.

Pete O’Doherty, Commissioner of the City of London Police and the Senior Responsible Officer for delivering Report Fraud, said:

Cyber crime and fraud are the crimes most likely to affect people in this country, yet too often victims feel unsure where to turn or what will happen if they make a report. These crimes cause more than financial loss and often have devastating impacts on those targeted. We see the true cost of cybercrime and fraud when taking reports from those affected.

Report Fraud is a landmark step forward. The service puts victims first, gives them a clear national front door to policing, and strengthens our ability, and that of every police force, to identify, disrupt and pursue the criminals behind these offences. This is not just a new service; it is a major upgrade to the UK’s defences against economic crime.

Rising threats

The launch comes against a backdrop of evolving digital threats that extend far beyond the UK’s borders. Bitdefender’s 2025 Consumer Cybersecurity Survey paints a worrying picture of consumer risk behavior and scam exposure.

Key findings include:

• 7 in 10 consumers encountered scams, with delivery/shipping fraud and credential phishing among the most common types
• 1 in 7 consumers worldwide fell victim to a scam in the past year
• AI-powered scams are a significant fear, with 37% of respondents worried about deception enabled by deepfakes
• Due to frequent use of social media, youngsters are twice as likely as their elders to fall victim to a scam (20% vs 9.7%)
• Despite fears about fraud and identity theft, many people foster risky habits — 37% write down passwords and 17% reuse them across multiple accounts.

A modernised reporting system like Report Fraud could not be timelier: scammers are adapting fast, leveraging social media, AI tools and routine consumer behaviours to trick victims and stay a step ahead of traditional defences.

UK’s broader cyber defence strategy

Report Fraud is part of a broader UK effort to counter rapidly evolving cyber threats. Earlier this month, the UK government unveiled an ambitious Cyber Action Plan to strengthen national digital resilience — from public services and critical infrastructure to citizen-facing systems.

The plan includes:

• A unified Government Cyber Unit to streamline risk detection and response across departments
• Stronger standards for software supply chains and secure coding practices
• Closer public-private cooperation to raise the bar on defence against ransomware, supply-chain attacks and other sophisticated threats

Together, these initiatives signal a more proactive UK approach to tackling both criminal opportunism and systemic vulnerabilities that enable scams and cybercrime to flourish.

The European Commission has also unveiled a revised Cybersecurity Act aimed at blocking “high-risk” foreign tech suppliers from key infrastructure — a strategy that extends beyond telecom backbones and into the devices consumers bring into their homes.

What this means for consumers

For everyday users, the launch of Report Fraud should make reporting scams more straightforward and reassuring — closing a gap that has long frustrated victims and investigators alike. Coupled with heightened awareness of cyberthreats, better reporting, and a strengthened national cyber strategy, the UK is taking significant steps to make it harder for scammers to operate with impunity.

Still, consumers play a crucial role too. As our survey highlights, better security habits — such as unique passwords, careful handling of cookies, and awareness of AI-driven scams — are essential to reducing individual risk, even as official systems evolve to support them.

If you're ever suspicious of a certain phone call, email or text, consider using Scamio, our clever chatbot designed to combat socially engineered attacks on your finances, security and privacy.

You may also want to read:

1 in 7 Consumers Got Scammed in the Past Year – Bitdefender Consumer Cybersecurity Survey 2025

UK Unveils Plan to Protect the Public from Cyber Threats

EU Unveils Plan to Shield Citizens from ‘High-Risk’ Tech Suppliers