Embarrassment ranks low as reason scam victims stay silent, Heimdal survey finds

A Heimdal survey of 1,884 UK adults who were targeted by scams in the past year found most non-reporting victims stayed quiet because they thought nothing was lost or reporting would not help. The findings matter because police and cybercrime experts say scam reports can help identify repeat offenders and stop wider fraud networks.

Why it matters: - Four in 10 scam targets did not report the crime to a bank, police or the platform where it happened. - Cybercrime reports can link phone numbers, email addresses and other signals across multiple cases, helping investigators identify offenders. - The survey suggests embarrassment is not the main barrier to reporting, which shifts attention to awareness and confidence in the reporting process.

What happened: - Heimdal surveyed 1,884 UK adults who said someone had tried to scam them in the past 12 months. - Of those surveyed, 42.7% did not tell their bank, the police or the website or app where the scam happened. - The most common reason for not reporting was that nothing was lost, so it did not seem important, cited by 47.2%. - Only 7.2% said embarrassment was the reason they stayed silent, placing it fifth out of six listed reasons. - More than a quarter, 27.8%, said reporting would not make a difference. - One in five, 20.5%, did not know who to report to. - People could give more than one reason. - Almost a quarter, 24.4%, told only family or friends. - 17.4% told no one at all. - Women were more likely than men to keep the scam within family or friends, at 28.8% versus 19.7%.

The details: - Among people who lost money, 11.7% did not tell their bank, the police or the platform. - Among people who lost nothing, 49.9% did not report to those channels. - The National Cyber Security Centre said it had received more than 59.6 million scam reports as of September 2026. - The National Cyber Security Centre said about 264,000 scams had been taken down across 466,300 web addresses. - In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, fraud can be reported to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. - In Scotland, people can call Police Scotland on 101. - People who lost money are urged to contact their bank straight away or call 159. - Anyone who gets an unexpected call about their money should hang up and call 159 to reach their bank. - Scam texts can be forwarded to 7726. - Scam emails can be forwarded to report@phishing.gov.uk. - The full report is available here.

Between the lines: - Adam Pilton, Heimdal Security cybersecurity adviser and former Dorset Police cybercrime detective sergeant, said the survey’s most important finding was that four in 10 people do not report a scam. - Pilton said intelligence from reports was central to cybercrime investigations because the same contact details often appear across multiple scams. - The survey suggests loss of money changes reporting behavior sharply, while embarrassment plays a smaller role than public debate often assumes. - People who were aged 25 to 34 lost money most often, at 35.7% of those targeted. - Adults over 65 lost money least often, at 6.8%. - Calls pretending to be from a bank, the police or the government reached 60.5% of targeted 18 to 24 year olds. - The same type of call reached 36.0% of targeted people over 65. - People in full-time work lost money more often than everyone else, at 23.7% versus 11.9%. - That gap remained after adjusting for age. - London residents targeted by scams lost money at a rate of 27.0%, compared with 16.8% across the rest of the UK. - Pilton said the age split surprised him, especially the low loss rate among over-65s.

What's next: - Heimdal said Adam Pilton is available for interview, including broadcast. - The company said the survey data is available on request. - The findings are likely to feed ongoing efforts to push more victims toward reporting scams quickly, especially when no money appears to have been lost. - The survey was commissioned by Heimdal and carried out by Pollfish from 26 August to 4 October 2026.