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AI-Enabled Synthetic IDs and Identity Sales Drive UK Fraud Spike, Cifas Warns

Cifas says AI-generated fake identities are intensifying fraud across sectors by exploiting people who sell their personal credentials.

Overview

  • The latest Fraudscape report shows Cifas members logged over 118,000 suspected identity fraud cases and more than 217,000 fraud-risk incidents between January and June 2025.
  • Advanced AI tools are being used to create synthetic identities, forge documents and bypass verification systems with alarming accuracy.
  • An emerging trend of individuals selling their own credentials online is exposing them to potential liabilities for criminal debts.
  • Fraud risks have expanded into motor insurance, mobile services, gambling and internal workplace recruitment schemes.
  • Mike Haley, Cifas’s CEO, has declared the situation a national emergency and urged urgent cross-industry data sharing and collaboration.