This report examines the nature and scale of online fraud, how the Home Office (the Department) and others have responded to the threat, and opportunities for the Department and others to tackle online fraud more effectively. Growth in the use of the internet and advances in digital technologies mean that citizens and businesses can now do more online. For the UK, this means there are opportunities for greater innovation and economic growth, but also more opportunities for online crime. While traditional crimes such as vehicle offences and house burglary have declined substantially in recent years, fraud, more than half of which is committed online, is becoming more common and is a growing threat.

Open publication