By: 17 November 2023
Rise in fraud predicted in upcoming festive season

In October 2023, the number of reported online fraud cases witnessed an increase. They reached 27.8 thousand incidents, as disclosed by the Atlas VPN team. The NFIB Fraud and Cyber Crime Dashboard cited this data. This uptick follows the figures from September 2023, which recorded 26.5 thousand incidents.  

Similarly, November 2022 saw a surge in fraud reports. They totalled 27.7 thousand cases, coinciding with prominent shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Notably, this marked an escalation from October 2022 (27 thousand incidents). December 2022 saw a decline, with 24 thousand reported incidents succeeding this.

Anticipating a surge in average losses this year, the NFIB underscores the impact of artificial intelligence in facilitating the creation of more convincing fraud campaigns by criminals. During the 2022 holiday season, individuals reportedly lost approximately £10.6 million to scams. 

From April 2023 to August 2023, a continuous upward trajectory in fraud incidents was observed. 139.5 thousand reports were accumulated during these warmer months. This trend aligns with the pattern of increased scam activities during the season, driven by heightened travel bookings and participation in summer flash sales. 

Collectively, spanning from October 2022 through 2023, the cumulative fraud reports reached over 350 thousand cases, resulting in an alarming £2.6 billion drained from unsuspecting consumers. 

Among the tactics employed to deceive the British public, online shopping and auction fraud emerged as the most prevalent, with 77.6 thousand incidents reported over the past 13 months. This figure significantly outpaced other consumer fraud categories.  

Ticket fraud and dating scams trailed behind, each recording approximately 9.2 thousand instances. In a surprising revelation, fraudulent door-to-door sales, in contrast to digitally-oriented strategies, secured a position in the top five with 6.2 thousand reported incidents. 

Image: © Watcharin panyawutso via Canva and Atlas VPN
Emma Cockings
Emma is a content editor for Claims Media. Emma is a experienced writer with a background in client-centric personal injury for a major firm. She has attended and reported on multiple brokerage events throughout her career.