Recent data from UK Finance half-yearly report for Fraud Statistics reveals a disturbing trend in the UK as consumers have lost a staggering £580 million to fraudsters in the first half of 2023. There is roughly one instance of fraud occurring every 12 seconds, highlighting the pressing nature of the issue.
Key highlights:
1. Rising Threats: Romance scams and identity theft are among the fastest-growing categories, with a concerning 29% surge in romance scams, costing victims around £18.5 million in the first half of the year. Identity theft also saw an alarming increase of over 50%, totalling £33 million in losses.
2. Authorised Push Payment (APP) Fraud: Cases of APP fraud, where victims are deceived into transferring funds to fraudster-controlled accounts, increased by 22% to £240 million. However, the overall amount lost to fraudsters by consumers dropped by 2% compared to the previous year.
It is evident that there are wins due to the adoption of Confirmation of Payee in banking ecosystem.
3. Decrease in Impersonation Cases: Cases where criminals impersonated banks or the police decreased by 35%, signalling a growing awareness that legitimate institutions never request money transfers in this manner.
4. Digital Deception: Fraudsters are now using social media, online platforms, texts, phone calls, and emails to deceive victims. 77 per cent of all Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud in the first half of 2023 originated from online platforms, through fake websites, social media posts and more. In terms of the value of losses, 45 per cent began through telecommunications via scam phone calls and texts. It is now crucial that platforms do take more responsibility in preventing scams.
Given these concerning statistics, it’s evident that a concerted effort is imperative to combat fraud effectively. Establishing collaboration across sectors, involving tech and social media companies, becomes crucial for heightened awareness, consumer education, and ensuring robust safety and security measures.
The rise in social media as a medium for deception is particularly concerning. It is time for all stakeholders to step up and take responsibility to protect consumers and prevent scams at their source.
These figures underscore the pressing need for comprehensive measures to combat fraud, protect consumers and maintain trust in the banking ecosystem.
Let’s work together to raise awareness, promote education, and ensure the safety and security of all consumers.
