Why middle-aged women are most likely to fall victim to fraud

Middle-aged women are more likely to be victims of fraud than any other group, according to research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Figures showed that 9.9 per cent of women aged 45 to 54 in the year ending March 2022 were victims of fraud, significantly higher than the 5.8 per cent youngest women in the survey aged 18 to 24 and six per cent of the oldest aged 75-plus.

Nearly three quarters of the crimes were committed through online activity and were primarily linked to either consumer and retail or bank and credit account fraud.

Experts suggested it could be attributed to women in the 45 to 54 age group being less savvy about the risks of going online than younger women combined with their greater use of internet retailers like Amazon than older women.

David Wilson, professor of criminology at Birmingham University, said: “I think there is a gender and also an age issue. The gender issue is that they are more likely to buy online than men but are less astute than women in their 20s and 30s about not falling for some of the frauds that take place.”

The least likely to fall victim to fraud were those aged 18 to 24, of both sexes, at 4.3 per cent for men and 5.8 per cent for women.

Fraud victims lost money in 64 per cent of incidents, according to the ONS survey, with most losing under £250. One in seven lost £250 to £999, while almost one in 10 were scammed for £1,000 or more.

Fraud up 25 per cent

Overall, fraud offences have gone up 25 per cent in two years while computer misuse - often hacking - has risen by 89 per cent.

The research suggests half of us received a “phishing” message in last month from fraudsters pretending to be from a delivery company, bank or other financial body.

Adults with a disability are more likely to be a victim of fraud than those without: 9.1 per cent compared with 7.4 per cent. Rates of fraud reporting highest in London.

Meanwhile, a cost-of-living scam where criminals send messages pretending to be from friends or family members who urgently need help paying bills is on the rise, according to a bank.

TSB recorded a 58 per cent increase in "friends and family" scams in July compared with the same month a year earlier. The upswing has been driven by scam requests for help paying bills, according to the bank, as surging living costs take their toll.