Key takeaways
- Many people do not report scams because they believe no loss occurred or that reporting will not help.
- Every report can provide intelligence that supports investigation and prevention.
- Employers can reinforce safe reporting routes as part of workplace cyber awareness.
Embarrassment sits near the bottom of the reasons people give for not reporting a scam, according to a Heimdal survey of 1,884 UK adults targeted by a scam in the past 12 months.
Of those surveyed, 42.7% did not tell their bank, the police, or the website or app where the scam happened. The most common reason, given by 47.2%, was that they had not lost anything, so it did not seem to matter. Just 7.2% said they were embarrassed, fifth of the six reasons named.
More than a quarter (27.8%) did not think reporting would make a difference, and one in five (20.5%) did not know who to report it to. Almost a quarter (24.4%) told only family or friends, and 17.4% told no one at all.
“Four in 10 people don’t report a scam.”
Adam Pilton, cybersecurity advisor at Heimdal Security
Adam Pilton, cybersecurity advisor at Heimdal Security and a former cybercrime Detective Sergeant with Dorset Police, said: “What I want to call out, as probably the most important piece of this report, is that four in 10 people don't report a scam.”
He added that intelligence from reports can help investigators connect telephone numbers and email addresses used across separate scams.
Who lost money
Adults aged 25 to 34 lost money most often. Among 25 to 34s targeted by a scam, 35.7% lost money, more than five times the rate for over-65s (6.8%). Calls pretending to be a bank, the police, or the government reached 60.5% of 18 to 24s who were targeted, against 36.0% of over-65s.
People in full-time work also lost money more often than everyone else (23.7% against 11.9%), a gap that held once age was taken into account.
Where to report a scam
- In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, report fraud to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040.
- In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
- If you have lost money, contact your bank straight away, or call 159.
- Forward scam texts to 7726 and scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
Methodology
Heimdal commissioned Pollfish to survey 1,884 UK adults who said someone had tried to scam them in the past 12 months. Fieldwork ran from 26 August to 4 October 2026.
