The Yahoo Boys: The men behind online romance scams Life&Style In an extract from his new book The Yahoo Boys: Real Life with the Love Scammers of Lagos, journalist CARLOS BARRAGÁN travels to Lagos to uncover the truth behind romance scams When journalist Carlos Barragán’s mother fell in love with a man she had never met, it seemed too good to be true. She would [...]
Fraud losses surge as scammers use AI to manipulate victims Personal Finance Fraud losses from people being tricked into transferring money to scammers surged by nearly a fifth last year, as criminals turn to AI to manipulate victims. More than half a billion was stolen in 2025 after artificial intelligence created a “lower barrier for entry” for criminals, according to UK Finance. Criminals managed to trick victims [...]
‘Sounds too good to be true?’ City watchdog clamps down on social media insurance scams Insurance The Financial Conduct Authority is cracking down on insurance scams advertised on social media and messaging platforms after finding half of young drivers have purchased illegitimate insurance premiums this way. The regulator said nearly 40 per cent of drivers aged 17-25 are “unconfident” in spotting the signs of a fake insurance policy, meaning “thousands could [...]
Financial scams soar as crooks snatch phones and manipulate vulnerable victims April 15, 2026 UK banks saw a staggering rise in financial scams last year, as growing public awareness was offset by criminals pivoting towards victim manipulation to get their hands on sensitive information. Banks reported a 62 per cent rise in social engineering scams, in which attackers manipulate victims into authorising payments themselves, as they turned away from [...]
The relentless rise of unregulated finfluencers March 16, 2026 Accessing financial advice used to be out of reach for many. But now, it’s on your commute, at the bus stop, and most dangerously, in your pocket. Get out your phone, open any social media app, and you’ll see a young man or woman, backlit by a ring light holding a pocket microphone, promising to [...]
Revolut, Barclays and Monzo top fraud complaints ranking October 1, 2025 Challenger banks Revolut and Monzo have topped the rankings for fraud and scam complaints filed to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) as Brits flock towards digital offerings. Fintech juggernaut Revolut received the most amount of APP fraud complaints referred to the FOS at 1,875. Monzo scored third at 1,063. It comes as the pair continue [...]
What the FCA scam surge tells us about fraud in 2025 August 29, 2025 When fraudulent actors start posing as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) itself, you know the scam problem has entered a new phase. The UK’s chief financial regulator confirmed this week that it has already received nearly 5,000 reports of impersonation scams in the first half of 2025, with almost 500 victims tricked into handing over [...]
Wimbledon scams: Bots are beating humans to the gates of Centre Court June 30, 2025 Bots are blitzing Wimbledon’s ticketing platform, scooping up tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of seats every minute while real deal fans scramble for scraps. A new investigation by cyberfraud firm Datadome has exposed just how exposed the system is – and it’s not a good look for the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament. Despite [...]
How to spot a financial scam June 11, 2025 Financial scams are on the rise. Here’s what to be aware of to make sure you don’t fall victim to one, and what to do if you or someone you know is scammed. Criminals stole over £1bn through fraud in 2024, UK Finance’s latest fraud report has revealed. There were over 3.3m confirmed cases of [...]
Londoners most at risk of online fraud, report reveals June 10, 2025 Londoners are at significant risk of digital and financial exclusion after new data revealed one in four people in the UK capital lack confidence in money management. According to research from WPI Economics and Virgin Money, Londoners are twice as likely to experience both digital and financial exclusion than those living in the South East. [...]