New data obtained by cybersecurity experts at Bridewell from Action Fraud reveals that cybercrime incidents reported by the UK public have increased by 37% in the past five years.
Action Fraud, which has recently been replaced by Report Fraud, was the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. In 2021, 28,770 cybercrime incidents were reported, which increased 37% in 2025 to 39,504. In total, over 161,000 cybercrimes were reported to Action Fraud in the past five years.
However, larger organisations typically report more serious incidents to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the financial losses from these incidents remain largely undisclosed, meaning the true scale of cyber crime’s financial impact remains hidden.
Despite the sharp rise in reported incidents, total financial losses reported to Action Fraud decreased, falling from over £12.3 million in 2021 to £6 million in 2025. Bridewell’s CEO, Anthony Young, cautions that this does not reflect the impact of larger cyber incidents on the UK economy.
The NCSC reported handling 204 nationally significant cyberattacks between September 2024 and August 2025, a 129% increase year-on-year. High-profile incidents affecting major organisations, including Jaguar Land Rover, Marks & Spencer and Coop, resulted in losses totalling hundreds of millions.
Young warns that the true cost of cybercrime to the UK economy is far higher than public reporting suggests, urging businesses to strengthen cybersecurity defences in response to growing large-scale threats.
