“Over 220,000 cases were filed with the UK’s National Fraud Database (NFD) between January and June, the highest number ever recorded during the first half of a year,” according to Cifas.
Cifas and the National Fraud Database: a new high-water mark
The non-profit Cifas, which runs the National Fraud Database (NFD) and the Insider Threat Database, reported that more than 220,000 fraud cases were submitted to the NFD in the first half of 2026. That total is the largest recorded for the first six months of any year and reflects a broad rise in identity-related crime: identity fraud rose 9% year on year to nearly 130,000 cases during the same period.
Identity fraud, bank- and card-focused tactics dominate
Cifas attributes much of the identity fraud increase to scammers targeting bank accounts and plastic cards, which accounted for 68% of identity-fraud cases. Impersonation incidents that used the victim’s real address increased 12% year on year. At the same time, “false identity” filings fell by 35% YoY, mainly across the banking and telecoms sectors, even as Cifas warned that “intelligence continues to indicate growing concerns around synthetic identities, AI-enabled impersonation and digitally manipulated documentation.”
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See what we buildAccount takeover and SIM-swap surges: online retail and card accounts stand out
Account takeover remains a major driver of the total, with nearly 40,000 cases recorded — a 5% increase year on year. Within that category, incidents tied to online retail rose 84%, while card-account account-takeover incidents rose 59%. Unauthorized SIM-swap cases jumped 402% to 4,109 incidents, and now represent 10% of all filings, up from 2% a year ago.
Money muling and younger people: shifting roles of victims and participants
Cases linked to money muling increased 69% annually in the first half of 2026, with more than 13,000 filings to the NFD. Mule activity now accounts for 30% of all cases of “misuse of facility” — instances where an account or product is misused by the genuine account holder. Cifas noted that some of the rise in mule reporting reflects enhanced detection and a filing reason introduced in 2025: “funds received – money muling.”
Demographically, although most identity-fraud victims remained aged 61 and over, the largest increase in victims occurred in the 21–30 age group, where cases rose by 32%. Younger people are also prominent among perpetrators: 57% of muling cases involved people aged under 30, and 17% involved people aged under 21.
What this means for banks, telecoms, and online retailers
- Banks: The data show account takeover and bank/card-targeted identity fraud remain central risks. Banks are directly implicated in the 68% share of identity-fraud cases tied to accounts and plastic cards and in the nearly 40,000 account-takeover filings.
- Telecoms: Telecoms were identified as a sector where “false identity” filings fell, but the sector also appears in the context of unauthorized SIM-swap increases that rose 402% to 4,109 incidents — a rise that now represents 10% of all filings.
- Online retailers: Online retail was singled out with an 84% increase in account-takeover incidents, indicating elevated exposure to credential compromise and fraudulent account use in e-commerce channels.
Cifas CEO, Mike Haley, placed the trend in plain terms: “Whether it is used to open accounts, take over existing facilities or support wider criminal activity, stolen personal data often provides the entry point.” He added a forward-looking note on prevention: “The findings also reinforce the importance of early intervention. As criminals continue to evolve their tactics and use digital channels to reach new audiences, education, awareness and prevention remain – particularly for younger people who are increasingly exposed to fraud risks.”
The first half of 2026 closed with record filings and sharper fault lines: account takeover and SIM-swap attacks surged, money-muling detections climbed as a result of both criminal activity and better reporting categories, and younger people appear both more frequently victimized and more often involved in mule networks. Cifas’ figures leave little doubt that personal data remains the currency of choice for fraudsters — and that how organizations and the public respond to that reality will shape whether those trends continue to climb.
