Scam Cartels Targeting Brits' Wallets by Messaging Apps

For the first time, a UK study conducted by Kaspersky has quantified how fast, costly, and emotionally damaging messaging scams have become. Drawing on insights from scam victims in the UK, the research shows that scammers exploit everyday messages to steal money and personal data within minutes, resulting in lasting financial and emotional damage.

A single, trusted-looking message can result in a loss of up to £458.45 per victim on average, with over half (56.7%) of scams succeeding within 30 minutes. In many cases, victims fall even faster, handing over money or personal details before doubt can set in. Behind these everyday messages is a fast-moving global scam cartel operating at an industrial scale and using AI to impersonate family, friends, and trusted brands.

This has created a full-scale identity theft economy built on stolen cash and personal data, with victims left out of pocket, shaken, and emotionally scarred.

Scammed in minutes: the fastest crime people face today
From work emails to family chats and delivery updates, messaging apps are the beating heart of everyday life. But they are also becoming the most exploited pathway for fraud. These scams most commonly begin on platforms people use every day, with three platforms topping the list: WhatsApp (39.44%), SMS/iMessage (43.82%), and Facebook (24.30%).

While that’s unsurprising given the large volume of messages people receive every day, what’s striking is the speed at which the scams unfold. Over half of all victims (56.67%) handed over money or personal information within 30 minutes, while over 1 in 10 (12.22%) did so in less than five minutes. That’s quicker than boiling an egg, ordering a taxi, or taking a shower.

And to keep victims off balance, scammers rarely stay in one place. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of scams span multiple platforms, moving from SMS to WhatsApp or from WhatsApp to Telegram, mimicking everyday conversations and notifications to avoid detection.

Dr. Elisabeth Carter, a forensic linguist and criminologist at Kingston University London, explains: “Fraudsters use recognized contexts, familiar social settings and embedded linguistic norms to make victims feel their decision-making is rational and reasonable in the moment, whereas what is actually happening is that they construct false realities in which those decisions end up causing financial and psychological harm. It is so hard to identify a false reality when you are in it. Keep friends and family close, and tell them what you do online, as it’s much easier from the outside to spot when something’s wrong.”

The financial blow is immediate and deeply personal for every household
The financial aspect is equally devastating. More than half of all victims (51%) lost money, while nearly a third lost personal information such as phone numbers, email addresses, home details or login credentials. On average, each person in the UK lost £458.45 per scam, an amount that hits everyday living. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, that loss can mean a month of groceries, transport/commuting costs, childcare fees, or utility bills.

While 36% lost smaller “micro-amounts” under £100, the damage adds up at scale. And for many, it doesn’t stop there, nearly than 1 in 10 victims (9.11%) lost over £1,000, a serious financial shock for most households.

Scams are rarely a one-off event, with more than a quarter (28%) of victims reporting being scammed three or more times in the past six months. This shows how victims are repeatedly targeted once scammers know they can be caught off guard.

The AI effect: scams affect every generation and leave emotional scars
Scam cartels no longer catch the inexperienced or old. The data shows that victims span every generation, from Gen Z to Gen X, underscoring that when scams move at speed and arrive via familiar messages, experience and digital savvy offer little protection.

That shift is being driven by AI. The days of badly written messages or obvious red flags are gone. Nearly two-thirds of victims (64.54%) think AI was used to deceive them, with scammers using AI-generated messages, synthetic or cloned voices, and/or deepfake images or videos.

By copying writing styles, tones of voice and even personal relationships, scammers can make fake messages feel real enough to bypass instinctive doubt, regardless of how digitally savvy someone believes they are.

And the cost to victims doesn’t end when their money is gone. The emotional impact cuts for a long time. Immediately after realizing they’d been scammed, victims in the UK most commonly reported feeling angry (52.9%), frustrated (41.83%) and embarrassed (36.25%). Months later, those feelings often persist, with nearly half still feeling angry (41.43%) and over a third still frustrated (35.86%), long after the scam took place.

A call for people to protect themselves online  

With people of all generations unable to distinguish fake messages from real ones, the rise of AI-powered messaging scams has triggered a crisis of trust. Kaspersky urges the public to slow down and add extra layers of protection, combining cautious habits with tools designed to counter scams that exploit speed and urgency. Steps people can take include:

• Pause before reacting: Messages demanding urgent action, payment or personal information are a major red flag. Taking even a few moments to pause can break the scammer’s momentum.
• Verify identities independently: Use secure verification methods, cross-check profiles and request additional proof of identity when in doubt.
• Protect accounts with strong passwords: Using unique passwords and managing them with a password manager tool such as Kaspersky Password Manager reinforces healthy password habits by ensuring you never reuse the same password across accounts — so even if one account is compromised, the rest stay protected.
• Stay alert to suspicious links and notifications: Most scams arrive via links in your messaging app or email inbox that appear legitimate. Security tools such as Kaspersky Premium can help monitor device activity, detect suspicious behavior, and flag harmful links before they escalate.

“This new wave of messaging scams is designed to feel indistinguishable from everyday communication,” said Marc Rivero, Lead Security Researcher at Kaspersky’s Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT). “In addition, AI is accelerating this trend, helping scammers convincingly imitate brands, familiar voices, and relationships at scale. As a result, simply being aware is no longer sufficient protection. He concludes: “people need to recognize risks earlier, before they are pressured into making hasty decisions. Combining simple habits, such as pausing and independently verifying contact details, with deploying reliable security tools that can detect and block threats in real time is essential to staying protected.”

For more information on Kaspersky’s insights and recommendations for safer online interactions, visit Kaspersky Daily.

The full report is available here