40% of UK scam targets fail to report scams

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, October 27, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- A survey of 1,884 UK scam targets has revealed that a significant number of individuals are not reporting scams, with 42.7% of those surveyed not informing their bank, the police, or the relevant website or app. The most common reason for not reporting, cited by 47.2% of respondents, was that they hadn’t lost anything and thus did not consider it important. Only 7.2% of those surveyed blamed embarrassment for their silence, placing it fifth among the reasons given. More than a quarter (27.8%) of the respondents did not believe that reporting would make a difference, and one in five (20.5%) did not know whom to report the scam to. Additionally, 24.4% of the respondents told only family or friends, while 17.4% did not inform anyone at all. Women were more likely than men to confide only in family or friends, with 28.8% of women against 19.7% of men.

The survey also highlighted that adults aged 25 to 34 were the most likely to lose money to scams, with 35.7% of this age group experiencing financial loss, compared to just 6.8% of those over 65. Calls pretending to be from a bank, the police, or the government were more common among 18 to 24-year-olds, reaching 60.5% of this age group, compared to 36.0% of those over 65.

The National Cyber Security Centre reported that as of September 2026, it had received more than 59.6 million scam reports, and about 264,000 scams had been taken down across 466,300 web addresses.

The survey, commissioned by Heimdal Security and conducted by Pollfish, provides a detailed insight into the behaviors and attitudes of scam targets. It highlights the need for greater awareness and encouragement of reporting scams to improve the effectiveness of law enforcement efforts. Of those who lost money, 11.7% did not report the scam to their bank, the police, or the platform, against 49.9% of people who lost nothing. This disparity underscores the importance of reporting even small scams, as they can provide valuable information for broader investigations.

In London, 27.0% of people targeted by a scam lost money, against 16.8% across the rest of the UK. The survey also found that people in full-time work lost money more often than everyone else (23.7% against 11.9%), a gap that held once age was taken into account. This suggests that those with employment might be more likely to engage in online activities that could lead to scams.

The survey question named “Action Fraud or the police.” Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland on 4 December 2025, within the 12-month period respondents were asked about. The full report is available at heimdalsecurity.com/blog/uk-scam-report-gap.

The National Cyber Security Centre's data shows the scale of the issue, with over 59.6 million scam reports and 264,000 scams taken down. This highlights the critical role that reporting plays in combating cybercrime. Pilton's insights underscore the importance of every report, as it can contribute to a broader understanding of the threat landscape and aid in the identification and prosecution of scammers.