The landscape for reporting cybercrime and fraud in the UK has shifted - and it's a change worth paying attention to. On 4 December 2025, City of London Police launched Report Fraud, a new national service replacing Action Fraud as the central reporting platform for cybercrime and fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is more than a rename. Report Fraud introduces a modernised reporting infrastructure, support system for victims, and a revamped intelligence backbone. For organisations, councils and citizens, this service change marks a pivotal opportunity to rethink how fraud is reported, tracked, and acted upon.

What is Report Fraud - and why now?

Report Fraud has been designed by City of London Police to streamline and improve the experience for victims of cybercrime and fraud. According to the launch announcement, the service includes:

  • A new Contact Centre and online reporting tool — providing a user-friendly way for the public to report fraud or cybercrime
  • A national analytics backend, the National Crime Analysis Service (N-CAS), replacing Action Fraud’s previous backend system. All UK police forces will have access to this system, enabling more coordinated intelligence sharing
  • Continuation of a dedicated victim support function (previously the National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit), now as the Report Fraud Victim Service - ensuring individuals receive specialist support post-reporting

Importantly, the public reporting number remains 0300 123 2040, and anyone can report via the website reportfraud.police.uk. Over the coming months, traffic to the old Action Fraud site will be redirected automatically to Report Fraud to ensure a smooth transition.

Why this matters - for victims, businesses, and fraud prevention

1. Victim-centred design: Report Fraud promises a simpler, clearer, more supportive process for victims - from reporting to follow-up. The inclusion of the dedicated Victim Service reflects a commitment to support, not just data collection.

2. Intelligence-led policing: With N-CAS, UK law enforcement gains access to a unified, national-scale analytics platform. This improves cross-force collaboration and accelerates detection of fraud patterns that span multiple regions - a critical advantage given the increasingly complex, cross-channel nature of cyber fraud.

3. Holistic threat visibility: By centralising reporting for cyber-enabled fraud, Report Fraud strengthens the national fraud “commons.” More comprehensive data improves understanding of trends - from phishing and smishing to APP (authorised push payment) fraud - which enables more effective preventive action and public awareness.

4. Opportunity for public–private collaboration: As fraudsters adopt faster, more adaptive tactics, intelligence sharing between police, financial institutions, telecoms, and security firms becomes vital. Report Fraud’s data-driven core can serve as the platform for such collaboration - and fraud intelligence organisations like PORGiESOFT Security are well-positioned to help turn raw data into actionable threat intelligence.

What organisations and councils should do next

For businesses, financial institutions, public-sector bodies and local councils, the launch of Report Fraud presents a timely trigger to review and update fraud-response and reporting protocols. Here are immediate steps to consider:

  • Update your communications and public guidance - ensure your employees, customers, citizens know that Report Fraud has replaced Action Fraud, and provide the new reporting URL and number
  • Embed reporting workflows in your incident response plans - direct victims or affected users to Report Fraud when they encounter scams, phishing, or cyber-fraud attempts
  • Integrate with intelligence systems - use aggregated Report Fraud data (or partner-level threat intelligence like PORGiESOFT’s) to monitor emerging fraud trends in your sector or geography
  • Educate people proactively - leverage upcoming Report Fraud publicity as an entry point to run public awareness campaigns around fraud, cyber-resilience, and scam prevention

What’s next - and what to watch

Report Fraud will have a full public launch in January 2026, with an awareness campaign and broader rollout. (As with any major transition, early months are critical. Adoption, awareness, and data quality will determine whether Report Fraud becomes a step-change in UK fraud prevention - or simply a rebranded version of the old system. Policymakers, businesses, and security firms alike should treat this as a turning point. The success of Report Fraud could define the effectiveness of UK’s fight against digital fraud for the next decade.

PORGiESOFT Security’s View on Report Fraud

As a security and fraud-intelligence provider, we welcome the launch of Report Fraud. It aligns with our vision of an integrated, intelligence-driven approach to fraud prevention. But reporting is only the first step. To truly combat fraud we need: data-driven detection, real-time threat intelligence, cross-sector collaboration and continuous awareness training. We stand ready to support organisations - and citizens - in adapting to this change. Because in the battle against fraud, curated intelligence is the first and most powerful weapon.