The UK's scams and fraud epidemic

Record numbers are complaining they've fallen victim to online fraudsters

Computer hacker's hands on keyboard for credit card fraud
The majority of complaints were about authorised push payment (APP) frauds, when customers are 'tricked into approving an online bank transfer to a fraudster'
(Image credit: Jariyawat Thinsandee / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

Customer complaints about fraud and scams have reached new highs. From April to June, there were 8,734 complaints, up from 6,094 from the same period last year. It is the highest total since the service began tracking the data in 2018.

Nearly half the claims – 44% – were upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service, which "deals with unresolved disputes between providers and their customers", said the BBC, compared with 37% for "other types of gripes".

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Elizabeth Carr-Ellis is a freelance journalist and was previously the UK website's Production Editor. She has also held senior roles at The Scotsman, Sunday Herald and Hello!. As well as her writing, she is the creator and co-founder of the Pausitivity #KnowYourMenopause campaign and has appeared on national and international media discussing women's healthcare.