Groundbreaking report reveals ‘invisible harms’ of the UK’s most common offence
Launched today by the Police Foundation: ‘Invisible Harms: Understanding the Hidden Health Impact of Fraud’ lays bare the devastating toll of criminal deception. The financial impact of fraud is tangible. What is less obvious and less understood is the impact on physical and mental health. This report explores the health impacts of fraud and through a survey of hundreds of victims in two police force areas in England, exposes clear gaps in the provision of support services.
Police and other service providers are having to plug gaps where specialist support services are desperately needed. Early intervention is lacking and victims are being let down.
Blair Gibbs, Director of the Police Foundation, said: “Fraud is now the biggest crime type in the UK and there are aspects to fraud that feed into emotional and physical ill health, including shame, stigma and self-blame. Victims of fraud, unlike other thefts for example, often feel gullible and partly responsible for their own victimisation and this results in them being reluctant to tell others, seek help from family, or ask for support. The impact of the crime is far reaching and can be life threatening.
“For those dealing with financial loss, it is wrong to assume that most people get compensated or get over the scam or fraud quickly. It’s also wrong to think that smaller monetary losses mean a smaller health impact as it depends on individual circumstances and vulnerability.
“Many victims said that the process for pursuing help and compensation from banks and other private companies was often difficult and unclear, which prolonged their stress and anxiety and made it harder to recover. Our policy recommendations are designed to help ensure victims’ needs are better understood by the health and justice system to ensure adequate support and care is provided.”
Ruth Halkon, Research Manager at the Police Foundation, said: “Our research included a 14-week snapshot from two police forces in England. Conclusions show there is considerable unmet demand for support from fraud victims and we understand this to be a nationwide problem.
“Services need to be improved to meet increasing demand from the variety of fraud offending that occurs. Health impacts need to be better understood and considered by the police and health practitioners so they can provide victims with the support they need. Fraud is ever evolving, increasingly widespread and knows no boundaries so a multi-agency approach is desperately needed to quell the lasting and sometimes devastating impact of this crime.”
Significant findings include:
- The vast majority (92 per cent) of victims reported experiencing at least one health symptom as a result of their victimisation, most commonly relating to their emotional or mental health.
- One in five victims (18.4 per cent) reported that they wanted support or treatment to address the health symptoms they experienced. Based on recent recorded crime data, that would mean that annually there may be over 56,000 fraud victims nationally, who want support or treatment to address health symptoms, and many of these are not receiving that support.[1]
- Over half of victims (58 per cent) reported experiencing a physical health symptom as a consequence of fraud victimisation, with one respondent saying: “During my experience I was totally stressed out and ended up losing my home and business which I strongly believe led to my cancer diagnosis.”
- Two thirds (64 per cent) of respondents reported changes in behaviour that had potential implications for health and wellbeing, such as a distrust of others (43.6 per cent), and becoming socially withdrawn (18.9 per cent).
- A minority of victims considered ending their own life in response to fraud victimisation, with one respondent saying: “It consumes all of my waking thoughts, and I cannot move on from it.”
Recommendations include:
- Calls for cross-government effort to map and evaluate existing support provision for fraud victims across policing, health and third sector to identify and address the existing gaps in service provision.
- Development of a national vulnerability framework to implement a more consistent approach across local forces, and ensure that resourcing decisions for fraud victims are rationalised, transparent, and accountable.
- Health and social welfare services, including GPs, should develop more effective mechanisms to identify when patients may have been fraud victims and are at risk of suffering health impacts as a result.
- Public-facing victim services be made central to the fraud response architecture.
- The health impact of fraud must be a key factor in developing the right response protocols when fraud is reported.
Bernadette Lawrie BEM, Financial Abuse Safeguarding Officer for Surrey Police and Sussex Police and lead for Operation Signature, said:
“Through Operation Signature, our process to identify, protect and support vulnerable victims of fraud, we know how important it is to understand the impact that fraud has, particularly on vulnerable victims. Identifying vulnerability early and recognising the wider health and social impact of fraud on a victim’s physical health, emotional wellbeing and long‑term independence, will help to ensure victims receive the right response and the best level of support.
“Conducting a face‑to‑face Police safeguarding visit in a victim’s home remains one of the most effective ways to build that understanding. Being physically present allows Officers to complete a comprehensive visual needs assessment of a person’s living environment, circumstances, and overall condition. This enables us to make timely referrals to appropriate agencies such as Victim Support, Adult Social Care, Mental Health Services, and the Fire & Rescue service (if hoarding or a fire risk is present), ensuring victims are connected with specialist help that can address issues far beyond the crime itself.
“These visits also allow us to build rapport and re‑establish trust, which is often deeply damaged when a vulnerable individual has been, groomed, manipulated, or exploited. The personal connection we create during these interactions is crucial. It provides reassurance, validates the victim’s experience, and establishes a pathway for longer‑term support, through our Fraud Caseworkers, enabling step‑down services and partners to become involved in a coordinated way.
“We welcome this academic research, highlighting the strong link between fraud victimisation, deteriorating health and long‑term care needs. By better understanding this connection we can ensure our safeguarding response is tailored to the individual, bridging the gap between the fraud and the lasting impact it has on victims’ lives.
“This knowledge will help shape the way we work with partners, and I believe strengthens the case for a local response to vulnerable fraud victims.
“When help is delivered by professionals based in the victim’s own community, local services can maintain regular contact and offer sustainable support that continues long after police involvement ends. and help the victims rebuild their confidence and independence.“
Victim Support said:
“Victim Support were pleased to have had the opportunity to take part in this research. It gave our service users a unique chance to share how their experiences of fraud impacted upon their health, what types of support worked well, and where services could and should have done better.
“This report offers a significant contribution to the fraud landscape and we anticipate it could lead to meaningful change for fraud victims.”
Read the report, including the full list of recommendations
ENDS
[1] This is based on published recorded crime statistics for the year ending September 2024 (See ONS (2025) Crime in England and Wales: year ending September 2024. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2024). This is an extrapolation, and it is not known the extent to which our survey sample is nationally representative of victims who report to the police.