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Crime·P Space·Evidence-backed problem·Published 2026-07-12

Investment fraud in UK soared to more than £220m lost last year, trade body says

Increasingly elaborate investment scams involving gold, cryptocurrencies and wine have soared in the past year with more than £220m lost to the fraud, according to a report. UK banks reported almost 15,000 investment scams in 2025 as criminals use artificial intelligence to dupe people out of their money. About £221.5m was lost to scams in which people were persuaded to move their money to a fake investment or a fictitious fund, a rise of 40% from the year before, according to the report from UK Finance. This parti

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Investment fraud in UK soared to more than £220m lost last year, trade body says
The quick read

Increasingly elaborate investment scams involving gold, cryptocurrencies and wine have soared in the past year with more than £220m lost to the fraud, according to a report. UK banks reported almost 15,000 investment scams in 2025 as criminals use artificial intelligence to dupe people out of their money.

About £221.5m was lost to scams in which people were persuaded to move their money to a fake investment or a fictitious fund, a rise of 40% from the year before, according to the report from UK Finance. Advances in AI means it is easier to carry out scams on a much larger scale than previously.

Main points
  • Increasingly elaborate investment scams involving gold, cryptocurrencies and wine have soared in the past year with more than £220m lost to the fraud, according to a report.
  • UK banks reported almost 15,000 investment scams in 2025 as criminals use artificial intelligence to dupe people out of their money.
  • About £221.5m was lost to scams in which people were persuaded to move their money to a fake investment or a fictitious fund, a rise of 40% from the year before, according to the report from UK Finance.
Problem

Last week the Bank of England cautioned the public against falling for AI-generated scams after deepfake videos of the Reform leader, Nigel Farage, fighting the Bank’s governor, Andrew Bailey, spread online.

The rundown

About £221.5m was lost to scams in which people were persuaded to move their money to a fake investment or a fictitious fund, a rise of 40% from the year before, according to the report from UK Finance. This particular fraud is popular among criminals as it often has high returns, according to Ruth Ray, the trade body’s managing director for economic crime.

Sources

The debate