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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Alicja Hagopian

‘It takes over your life’: Fraud cases up 33 per cent as AI, crypto and social media increase risk for millions of victims

Fraud cases in England and Wales surged by more than 1 million last year, new figures reveal, with some victims losing tens of thousands of pounds to scammers.

Over 2024, there was a 33 per cent rise in fraud incidents compared to the previous year, rising from an estimated 3 million cases to 4.1 million, according to new data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW).

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