The UK government published a national Fraud Strategy for 2026–29, allocating new funding and establishing an Online Crime Centre to disrupt online and cross‑border fraud. The strategy explicitly identifies cryptocurrency and AI‑enabled fraud as growing threats and emphasizes international cooperation and enhanced data and AI capabilities.

The UK government’s Fraud Strategy 2026–29 outlines a multi‑year plan to treat fraud as a major economic crime and to scale national counter‑fraud capacity through targeted investment, new structures and enhanced partnerships. The strategy commits funding to establish an Online Crime Centre aimed at centralising intelligence on online fraud, enabling faster cross‑border investigations, and coordinating public‑private threat disruption. It explicitly flags cryptocurrency schemes, synthetic identity fraud and AI‑enabled impersonation as accelerating risks that require upgraded detection tools, improved data sharing between banks and law enforcement, and better transnational cooperation. The document calls for strengthened analytical and machine learning capabilities to detect patterned behaviour at scale, expanded sanctions and asset‑recovery mechanisms, and support for victims, particularly older adults targeted by tech‑assisted scams. The strategy frames these steps as necessary to dismantle organised fraud networks and to reduce economic harm, while urging industry partners to adopt common standards for reporting and prevention to increase operational effectiveness.