Fraudsters hijacking personal email and social media accounts in the United Kingdom have stolen substantially increased sums of money, according to national crime reporting data. The amount reported through the Report Fraud service climbed to £6.3m during the 2025-26 financial year, representing a dramatic increase from £1.2m the previous year.
Criminals employing this tactic frequently impersonate account holders to conduct various fraudulent schemes. A common approach involves advertising counterfeit tickets to in-demand events such as music concerts, deceiving friends and family members of the compromised account holder. Victims and their social circles have reported losing substantial sums through such schemes, with reported losses reaching thousands of pounds in individual cases.
Beyond ticket fraud, scammers utilize hacked accounts to conduct relationship-based scams. These include impersonating relatives or children in distress to solicit emergency payments via text messages and messaging applications, tactics referred to colloquially as the “Hi mum” scam. Research from a major financial institution indicates that fraudsters claiming to be sons prove particularly effective at securing funds, followed closely by those posing as daughters.
Experts note that official figures likely underestimate actual losses, as numerous victims refrain from reporting incidents due to embarrassment or because individual amounts stolen are relatively modest. Amanda Wolf, head of Report Fraud operations, characterized the impact as deeply personal, noting victims experience concerns about compromised information and worry criminals may exploit their identity to target others in their social networks.
Authorities are implementing preventative measures through public awareness campaigns. Report Fraud is promoting the adoption of passkeys as a security enhancement, as this authentication method relies on individual device biometrics and cannot be compromised in the manner traditional passwords can be.
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