Over £629m lost to scams in first half of 2025: how to protect yourself

There's been a surge in certain types of scams in the UK, with fraudsters stealing more than £629m from people in the first six months of 2025, according to UK Finance’s latest fraud report. This is a 3% rise on the same period last year.

Key findings:

• 2.09m confirmed fraud cases, up 17% from 2024
• £870m in unauthorised fraud was prevented by banks, a 20% increase
• Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud losses reached £257.5m, up 12%, even though the number of APP cases fell 8% to 110,747
• 66% of APP fraud began online, and 17% started through telecommunications networks

Why are APP losses increasing?

The rise in APP fraud is mainly driven by investment scams, where criminals convince victims to transfer money for fake or worthless investments.

Fraudsters often use fake websites, celebrity endorsements and high-pressure tactics to gain trust.

• £97.7m was stolen through investment scams in the first half of 2025, a 55% increase from 2024

• though because victims often take longer to realise they’ve been caught in an investment scam, some of the losses reported this year relate to cases that began in previous years

Other common types of APP fraud

Purchase scams

Purchase scams, where victims pay upfront for goods or services that never arrive, are the most common form of APP fraud, accounting for 72% of all cases.

• in the first half of 2025, losses increased by 10%, though case numbers fell by 7%

Romance scams

With romance scams, fraudsters build fake romantic relationships to trick victims into sending them money.

• losses increased by 35% in the same period

Impersonation scams

Criminals pose as police officers, bank staff or other trusted officials. 

But, largely due to public awareness campaigns:

• cases fell by 16% and
• losses dropped by 14%

Money returned to victims

In total, £159.2m, around 62% of APP losses, was reimbursed to victims in the first half of 2025.

How to stay safe

You can help protect yourself online by following these simple steps:

• check the sender’s email address carefully
• avoid clicking on suspicious links
• look for secure websites (https://)
• never share personal or banking details
• remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• shred personal documents before binning them
• use strong, unique passwords and change them regularly
• keep your antivirus software up to date
• be cautious of cold callers

What to do if you've been scammed

If you think you’ve fallen for a scam, don’t panic. Take these steps:

• if you feel at risk of harm, call 999
• tell your bank or building society
• report it to Action Fraud
• change your online passwords
• keep an eye on your credit report
• be wary of companies contacting you offering you help getting your money back, as this could be part of the scam
• if you need emotional support, get in touch with Victim Support

If the scam is:

• an investment scam, get in touch with the Financial Conduct Authority
• happened on a social media site, report it to the platform where it occurred
• involved someone pretending to be from the Student Loans Company (SLC) or Student Finance England, report it to [email protected] and the SLC hotline – 0300 100 0059

Stay informed

Knowledge is your best defence – read our guide about outsmarting online scammers and stay updated on the latest scams.

Trust your instincts and always take a moment to think before acting.