Investment fraud victims ‘losing more than £25,000 on average’

A campaign to highlight the warning signs of investment fraud, which can see people lose “life-changing” sums of money, has been launched by the National Crime Agency (NCA).Criminals promote fake companies and investment schemes on websites and across social media.The NCA said, according to Report Fraud, reports of investment fraud have surged by 37%, from 26,616 in 2024-25, to 36,464 in 2025-26.Total losses in 2025 reached £991 million, equating to around £100,000 lost every hour, the NCA said.Share sales, cryptocurrency investments and recovery fraud (when someone who has been a victim of fraud is contacted again by criminals who claim they can help get stolen money back) are among the types of fraud people may experience.Criminals may promise high returns and use fake celebrity endorsements or fake news stories to attract attention.People are often not aware they have been defrauded until they attempt to close accounts or make withdrawals, only to find the organisation disappears.Nick Sharp, deputy director fraud at the national economic crime centre (NECC) in the NCA, said: “Investment fraudsters target people who are looking to make their money go further, often manipulating them with overwhelming levels of data to create the illusion of making huge sums.“Average losses in an investment fraud are more than £25,000 – that is a life-changing sum to lose for most people – but it also does enormous harm to the trust and faith that people place in their own judgment as well as their confidence in making legitimate investments.”Steve Smart, executive director lead for fighting financial crime at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said: “Investment scams can be devastating for victims and these latest figures show more work is needed to crack down on the criminals behind them.“Last year, the FCA issued 2,329 warnings about unauthorised or potentially scam firms while a targeted week of action uncovered illegal financial adverts which reached at least 2.3 million UK social media accounts.“The platforms hosting these scams need to take a more proactive approach to protecting their users.Read More“Consumers can protect themselves by using FCA firm checker to check if a firm is authorised for the investments being offered.“It can reduce their chances of falling victim to fraud and gives them greater protection if things go wrong.”People who think they have been scammed should contact their bank immediately as well as the police and remember not to delete any messages that may help an investigation.Fraud victims should also be cautious of services offering to recover money as criminals often re-contact victims to demand more cash.