Official crime statistics show that fraud remains a major challenge in England and Wales, although the latest figures accessible for independent verification do not establish the increases of 11% in fraud and 23% in computer misuse cited in an earlier alert.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported an estimated 4.5 million fraud incidents in the year ending March 2026, compared with approximately 4.2 million a year earlier. It described the change in the total number of fraud incidents as not statistically significant.
The same bulletin estimated approximately 798,000 incidents of computer misuse, also with no statistically significant change compared with the previous year. Computer misuse was estimated to be around 55% lower than in the year ending March 2017.
Within the fraud figures, bank and credit account fraud increased by 15% to around 2.8 million incidents. The proportion of adults experiencing fraud increased to 7.8%.
The ONS estimated 9.6 million incidents of headline crime overall, with no statistically significant change from the previous year. These estimates come from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which captures experiences of crime including incidents not reported to police.
The ONS scheduled a further bulletin covering the year ending June 2026 for 22 October 2026. At the time this article was prepared, the accessible official release page did not provide the full published statistics needed to substantiate the previously circulated 11% and 23% figures. Those claims should not be treated as confirmed until the underlying tables and bulletin can be checked.
The survey estimates should not be confused with police-recorded crime totals. Changes in reporting systems and recording practices can also affect comparisons between police datasets.
Sources: ONS crime bulletin (latest accessible figures); ONS June 2026 release page.