Fraud cases in the United Kingdom reached a record high last year, while crypto ATM fraud losses in the United States surged by 33% in 2025, with both trends driven by criminals increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to scale their operations. According to data from fraud prevention organization Cifas, UK fraud cases climbed to 444,000 incidents in 2025, a 6% increase from 2024, marking the highest number ever recorded in the national database.
The UK's Fraudscape report details a shift in criminal tactics, moving from traditional scams toward sophisticated account takeover fraud. Criminals are using AI tools and large datasets to automate deception, create convincing fake identities, and impersonate victims to hijack existing digital accounts. The most targeted accounts involve mobile phone services, online retail platforms, and personal credit cards, as they provide access to payment systems and personal data for further fraud. The report also highlights the growing threat of SIM swap fraud and the rise of organized, cross-border fraud networks offering "fraud as a service" kits.
Parallelly, in the United States, crypto ATM fraud losses hit $333 million in 2025, according to security firm CertiK. The FBI received over 12,000 related complaints between January and November, reflecting a 33% annual increase. CertiK reports that organized criminal networks are using advanced AI deepfake tools to enhance social engineering, generating 4.5 times more profit than traditional methods. These scams exploit the speed and pseudonymity of crypto ATMs, which convert cash to cryptocurrency in under five minutes with limited identity checks.
Older adults accounted for approximately 86% of reported crypto ATM losses, though cases among younger victims are rising. Common scam tactics include government impersonation, tech support fraud, grandparent scams, and "pig butchering" romance or investment schemes. CertiK notes a shift from independent scammers to structured transnational criminal organizations that are "industrializing ATM-based extraction at unprecedented scale." In response, U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis and Dick Durbin have proposed legislative measures, including the Crypto ATM Fraud Prevention Act, to strengthen user safeguards.
