The Scale of Fraud in the UK

Hundreds of thousands of fraud markers are filed every year. This guide covers the latest statistics on fraud in the UK, how many markers are recorded annually, and why disputed markers are an increasing concern.

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Understanding CIFAS

The Scale of Fraud in the UK

CIFAS markers in numbers

The scale of CIFAS marker filing is substantial and growing. Understanding the numbers helps put your situation in context — you are not alone, and disputed markers are an increasing concern.

Key statistics

444,000 fraud markers were recorded on the NFD in 2025
A new marker is recorded approximately every 2 minutes
775+ organisations are CIFAS members across 17 sectors
Identity Fraud is the highest-volume category (118,726 cases)
Misuse of Facility is the most commonly disputed type (51,183 cases)
CIFAS claims £2.4 billion in prevented fraud losses annually

What the FOS data shows

Our analysis of 1,657 Financial Ombudsman decisions about CIFAS markers reveals that the volume of complaints is growing rapidly — from 5 decisions in 2013 to 376 in 2025. This reflects both increasing marker filing and increasing awareness that markers can be challenged.

The overall upheld rate is 28% — meaning nearly three in ten complaints succeed at the ombudsman level. However, this figure masks significant variation by institution and marker type. Some institutions have much higher upheld rates than others.

The real story: The 72% failure rate is largely explained by weak complaint preparation — no legal framework, no data protection arguments, no evidence structure. Properly prepared complaints have a significantly higher success rate.

72%

Of complaints fail at FOS

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1,657

FOS decisions analysed

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80+

Supported cases

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