Scam Index

Scams are evolving fast – with Brits targeted in new ways every day.
Our Scam Index shows the UK’s fraud risk right now, bringing together the latest scam trends to help people spot the signs and swerve the scammers.

U.K. Overview

Moderate Risk
Virgin Media O2’s Scam Index
4.5
↑ +1.2%
Category Scores (1 = moderate risk, 10 = significantly high risk)
Exposure
4.2
Impact
3.9
Escalation
3.9
Vulnerability
5.9
How its calculated ?

The Scam Index tracks the level and impact of scam activity using a combination of nationally representative polling (2,000 Brits) and Virgin Media O2’s own network data on a quarterly basis.

All data is carefully validated, anonymised and analysed to ensure accuracy and reliability. We then apply a consistent scoring approach, considering factors such as the volume of scams, potential harm and emerging trends.

Q1 2026 (Jan-Mar)
Hover and click over a region to view details

Top 10 Scam Trends in U.K.

Rank
Type of scam
Percentage of people who
have seen the scam
Trend (QoQ)
1
Delivery Scam
86%
-1

2
Account Suspension Scam
82%
+2

3
Online Shopping Scam
73%
-3

4
Tech Support Scam
65%
-3

5
Telecoms Scam
65%
-1

6
Prize/ Lottery Scam
57%
+3

7
Investment / Crypto Scam
43%
+2

8
Banking Scam
34%
-1

9
Energy Scam
12%
+4

10
Jobs / Employment Scam
11%
-4

How fraud impacted Britain in the last 3 months

28%
Brits seen a scam in the last quarter
↑ +1.2%
20%
Brits scammed or know someone who has
↑ +1.2%
£1,093
Amount lost on average by victims
↓ -1.2%

Compared to a year ago

Key insights into attitudes, experiences and losses related to scams.

45%
of brits have seen more scams
↑ +1.2%
40%
are more worried about scams
↑ +1.2%
66%
believe AI is making scams more dangerous
↑ +1.2%

How we’ve kept Brits safe in the last 3 months

At Virgin Media O2, we use smart technology and real-time monitoring to stop scams before they reach you. Here’s the impact we’ve made together.

111.7m
texts blocked
1.4B texts to date
226m
calls flagged
1.1B calls to date

Customers on any UK network can help play their part by reporting scam texts and calls to 7726. These reports enable us to investigate and block mobile numbers used by fraudsters and refine our blocking services, making it easier to identify new trends faster in future.

Swerve the Scammers

Visit O2’s help pages for the latest advice on how to deal with calls and texts from scammers and tools so you can stay safe from fraud.

Find out more
Journalists can contact the Virgin Media O2 press office on:
press@virginmediao2.co.uk 01753 565656
Virgin Media
press enquiries
press@virginmedia.co.uk
O2
press enquiries
pressoffice@o2.com