Home Office written question – answered at on 4 June 2026.
James McMurdock
Independent, South Basildon and East Thurrock
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with Action Fraud regarding trends in scam calls targeting (a) elderly and (b) vulnerable people.
Dan Jarvis
The Minister of State, Home Department, Minister of State (Home Office) (Security), Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office engages regularly with Report Fraud (the replacement service for Action Fraud) on trends in fraud and scam activity. Report Fraud does not currently publish data disaggregated specifically by scam calls as a distinct fraud type targeting elderly or vulnerable individuals.
For all fraud reports recorded in the Report Fraud system in the year ending May 2026, approximately 30% of individuals were aged 60 and over, where the victim’s age is known.
Evidence from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which captures both reported and unreported fraud, indicates that in the year ending March 2025 people aged over 60 were not statistically more likely to be victims of fraud.
The Home Office funds the Report Fraud Victim Service, which provides tailored support to victims of fraud and cybercrime, including older and vulnerable individuals. The service triages victims based on vulnerability and offers targeted support to help them cope with the impact of fraud and reduce the risk of repeat victimisation.
Beyond Report Fraud, the Government launched its new Fraud Strategy in March 2026. The commitments made in the Strategy are broadly aimed at reducing vulnerability within the whole of society. However, the Government and law enforcement routinely assess particular areas of vulnerability to provide more targeted support and advice.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.