Met Police record highest rate of investment fraud, with victims losing £154 million

New NFIB analysis reveals London has the highest rate of investment fraud in the UK, with victims reporting more than £154 million in losses.

According to a new analysis by Wealth Recovery Solicitors, UK police received 39,424 reports of investment fraud between 1 July 2025 and 31 July 2026, with victims reporting combined losses of over £1.3 billion.

The analysis, based on Report Fraud data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, also found that the capital had the highest rate of cases. The Metropolitan Police reported 64.4 reports per 100,000 residents, with victims losing a combined total of £154.4 million. Surrey Police followed with 50.0 reports per 100,000 residents, then Hertfordshire Constabulary (49.8), Bedfordshire Police (49.5) and Northamptonshire Police (48.8).

Rank	Police force	Investment fraud reports per 100,000 people	Combined money lost to investment fraud
1	Metropolitan	5,842	£154,470,897
2	Surrey	624	£17,966,408
3	Hertfordshire	616	£15,772,239
4	Bedfordshire	371	£5,088,389
5	Northamptonshire	397	£5,917,774

At the other end of the scale, Police Scotland recorded the lowest rates of investment fraud at 10.7 reports per 100,000 residents, followed by Durham Constabulatory (27.2), Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) (27.9), Merseyside Police (29.2) and Cleveland Police (30.5).

60 to 69-year-olds report the highest known losses

Victims aged 30-39 made 6,650 investment fraud reports, more than any other age group, with total losses amounting to £131.2 million. Despite this, the highest reported losses among cases where age was recorded came from those aged 60-69, losing a combined £290.7 million across 5,771 reports.

Men accounted for the largest share of investment fraud reports, with 19,047 cases (48.3%) compared with 11,050 (28%) involving women. In 9,291 cases (23.6%) the sex of the victim was either unknown or not recorded.

Fraud recovery scams make up nearly a third of cases

The analysis also highlights the scale of fraud recovery scams. These made up almost a third (31.8%) of investment fraud reports, with criminals contacting previous victims of fraud, often posing as a government, police or legal agency representative, and offering to help recover their money for a fee.

Fraud type	Reports	Amount of money lost
Fraud Recovery	12,546	£198,500,288
Pyramid or Ponzi Schemes	4,818	£180,471,677
Share sales or Boiler Room Fraud	2,979	£92,701,728
Prime Bank Guarantees	131	£19,903,890
Time Shares and Holiday Club Fraud	96	£1,372,516
Pension Liberation Fraud	143	£830,828

Avi Chinn, Director of Growth and Strategy at Wealth Recovery Solicitors, commented:

“Investment fraud continues to devastate lives across the country, and these figures show just how unevenly it's being felt. Whether you've lost money to a boiler room scam, a fake investment scheme, or a pension liberation fraud, it's crucial to act quickly and seek specialist legal advice, as early action significantly improves the chances of recovering losses.”

Wealth Recovery Solicitors have shared some common signs of investment scams to watch out for:

Companies contacting you out of the blue about an investment opportunity.
You’re pressured with a limited-time offer, such as a bonus or discount, if you invest before a set date.
They promise great returns or special offers that sound too good to be true.
They keep calling you and keep you on the phone for a long time.
They use endorsements from trusted celebrities (such as Martin Lewis), which aren’t verifiable.