Protect yourself from fraud
Criminals use a wide range of methods and tactics to steal your money, or obtain personal information that can be used later in a fraud attempt. They operate on websites and apps, by email, text, phone, post or in person, including on your doorstep.
In this section we explain some steps you can take to secure your personal and financial information.
Protecting against online fraud
Make sure your passwords, devices and data are as secure as they can be.
Protecting against fraud at home
Make it harder for fraudsters to target you on your doorstep, through the post or by phone.
Protecting against fraud in public places
Keep your passwords, PINs and bank cards safe when you’re out and about.
Protecting others from fraud
Learn how you can help to protect family and friends who might be at risk of fraud.
Would you know how to avoid fraud?
Take our short quiz to find out if you’d be able to reduce your risk if approached by a fraudster.
Are you at risk?
Fraud accounts for almost 41% of all crime. In just one year, 1 in 16 adults in England and Wales were victims of fraud.*
That’s nearly 3 million of us.
1 in 5 businesses were also a victim of fraud over a 3 year period.^
In other words, fraud is rife and it can happen to anyone.
*Source: Crime Survey for England and Wales, year ending June 2024
^Source: Economic Crime Survey 2020
Think you’re immune from fraud?
Fraudsters can use highly manipulative methods to get us when our defences are down and technological advances can make fraud harder to spot. Nobody is immune from fraud. We can all be more alert to the risks, and we can all do more to protect ourselves.
Why you might be more at risk than you think
The world has changed. Which means the way fraudsters operate has changed, and will continue to evolve. Find out why this makes us all more vulnerable to fraud.
4 ways to frustrate a fraudster
What’s the risk of fraud happening to you? Answer 4 quick questions to discover how you can make yourself a harder target.
