Losses from hacked UK accounts rose more than 400% to £6.3m
Money stolen through hacked email and social media accounts has surged by more than 400% in one year, reaching £6.3m in the 2025-26 financial year, according to the Report Fraud service. The rise underscores how account hijacking now poses a significant personal security threat, extending beyond individual victims to their friends and family who can be exploited through impersonation scams. The phenomenon leaves victims locked out of their own accounts, worried about compromised information, and concerned about criminals using their identity for further fraud.
Many hijackings involve scammers using stolen identities to sell fake event tickets, such as sold-out Oasis concerts, to unsuspecting friends and family. A related variant, dubbed the "Hi mum" scam, sees fraudsters impersonate relatives claiming emergency cash needs. The true scale may be considerably higher than reported, as many victims fail to report crimes due to embarrassment or because individual amounts were small. Police are promoting passkeys, which use biometric authentication rather than passwords, as a way to prevent account compromise.
- Account hijacking thefts rose 400% to £6.3m in one year
- Scammers use stolen accounts to sell fake tickets to friends
- Police recommend passkeys over passwords for account security
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Account hijacking is when scammers gain access to someone's email or social media accounts, usually by stealing passwords or tricking users into revealing them. Once in control, fraudsters can impersonate the account owner to deceive their friends into sending money or buying fake goods. This type of fraud has become a serious threat, affecting not just account holders but also their contacts who can be exploited through impersonation.
Common scams include criminals selling counterfeit tickets to sold-out events through hijacked accounts to unsuspecting friends and relatives. Another variant, called the "Hi mum" scam, involves fraudsters impersonating family members claiming to need urgent cash. Victims face financial losses and the distressing prospect of being locked out of their own accounts whilst their personal information and contacts remain exposed to criminals.
The true scale of account hijacking may be significantly larger than official figures suggest, as many victims never report their losses. Some feel embarrassed about being defrauded, whilst others do not bother reporting smaller amounts. To help prevent account hijacking, authorities are promoting passkeys, which use biometric features like fingerprints rather than passwords to verify identity, making accounts much harder for criminals to compromise.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The 400% surge in losses from account hijacking represents an escalating crisis that demands urgent action. Victims lose access to their accounts, suffer identity theft, and are weaponised to defraud friends and family, with the true scale likely far larger due to underreporting and embarrassment. Market forces alone have failed to prevent this worsening threat, making stronger mandatory security standards on platforms and widespread adoption of proven technologies like passkeys essential to protect the public.
The case against
Whilst the percentage increase is dramatic, the absolute losses of £6.3m remain relatively modest within the broader fraud landscape and are typically covered by existing compensation schemes. Market mechanisms are already incentivising better security through competition and user demand, driving organic adoption of technologies like passkeys. Heavy-handed regulatory mandates risk creating implementation burdens, accessibility barriers for less tech-savvy users, and unintended consequences when evidence suggests security standards evolve more effectively through competition and innovation.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Money stolen by scammers hijacking UK social media accounts rises 400%”.