Reported fraud losses connected to compromised email and social media accounts in the United Kingdom have increased dramatically, according to data from the Report Fraud service administered by the City of London police. The organization documented £6.3 million in theft during the 2025-26 financial year, representing a substantial rise from £1.2 million during the previous year.
Scammers employing these tactics frequently hijack legitimate accounts to impersonate their owners, using the stolen identities to deceive the account holders’ social networks. A common scheme involves fraudsters advertising tickets to sold-out concerts and other live events, deceiving friends and family members into sending money for fraudulent purchases. In some documented cases, the impersonation has been sophisticated enough that recipients believed they were communicating with the actual account owner. Another prevalent tactic involves unsolicited messages through WhatsApp and text services, where criminals pose as relatives in distress requiring urgent financial assistance, a scheme colloquially known as the “Hi mum” scam.
Data collected by one major financial institution identified patterns in these attacks, finding that fraudsters claiming to be someone’s son achieved particularly high success rates in extracting payments, with imposters claiming to be daughters ranking second. The actual scope of the problem likely exceeds reported figures, as many victims do not formally report such crimes due to embarrassment or because individual losses appeared minor.
According to Amanda Wolf, who leads Report Fraud operations, account compromises affect victims beyond simple data security concerns. Those targeted may lose access to important accounts, face anxiety regarding what personal information has been accessed, and worry about criminals misusing their identity to victimize others. She noted that a single compromised account frequently creates a cascading effect, as fraudsters leverage established trust relationships to expand their criminal activities.
In response, Report Fraud has initiated a public awareness campaign advocating for stronger account protections. The initiative emphasizes adoption of passkeys, which rely on individual devices and biometric verification for authentication and cannot be compromised through conventional password theft methods.
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