UK Under-25s Ten Times More Likely Than Over-65s to Have Had a Bank Account Taken Over, Outseer Survey Finds

A new seven-market survey from fraud-prevention specialist Outseer finds younger UK respondents report far higher fraud exposure than older respondents.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- UK adults aged 18–24 are ten times as likely as those aged 65 and over to have had a bank account taken over by a fraudster, according to a new survey from Outseer, a leader in All-Cause Fraud Prevention™.

In the UK, 21.0% of 18–24 year-olds said they had personally experienced account takeover, compared with 2.1% of those aged 65 and over. When cases affecting someone close to them are included, the figures rise to 39.0% and 3.8% respectively.

The pattern repeats across other fraud types when experiences of family and friends are included. QR-code and payment-link scams were reported by 44.8% of UK 18–24s against 4.3% of over-65s, and romance scams by 55.2% against 10.3%. Across multiple fraud types, the UK age gap is the widest of the seven markets surveyed.

"The importance of Fraud prevention education for older customers is understood, but our findings suggest that younger people also need support. Younger adults reported materially higher exposure, yet traditional security messaging resonates least with them," said Yogesh Patel, Chief Technology Officer, Outseer. "Banks have an opportunity to rethink both fraud protection and how it is communicated to customers”

The group reporting the highest exposure is also the least moved by "we are monitoring you" messaging. Just 5.7% of UK 18–24s chose "we are constantly monitoring for threats to your account" as the bank message that appeals most, compared with 28.6% of over-65s, a fivefold difference. Younger respondents preferred "we stop fraud before it reaches you" (36.2%).

Fraud protection matters because trust is at stake. It is the top reason UK consumers give for choosing a new bank or card provider, with 60.4% ranking it in their top three decision factors. A third (33.1%) say a fraud or scam experience reduced their trust in their provider, rising to 42.9% among 18–24s, and 33.7% would move some or all their money if their bank failed to protect them.

But protection cannot come at the cost of convenience. Nearly two-thirds (63.7%) of UK respondents had abandoned an online checkout at least once because security checks were too slow or confusing, rising to 81.9% of 18–24s. Yet 76.9% react positively to their bank using background technology to check it's really them making a payment.

"Customers get used to familiar friction. What they react badly to is new, unexpected or unnecessary friction," said Outseer's Patel. "The opportunity for banks is to do more of the risk assessment in the background, combining behavioural biometrics with device, transaction and contextual signals, and to introduce friction only when the risk justifies it.”

The findings are drawn from Outseer's 2026 survey of 7,029 consumers across the UK, US, Sweden, Australia, India, Brazil and Singapore, including 1,005 UK adults, conducted online in August 2026. Results are broken out by age and market throughout.

Outseer's eBook covering the results for the UK is available at: https://www.outseer.com/ebook/consumer-trust-fraud-authentication-uk

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About Outseer
Outseer is a leader in All-Cause Fraud Prevention™, providing AI-powered fraud detection and prevention for banks, card issuers and payment providers. It helps financial institutions protect the full digital customer journey, from login and account activity to payments and 3-D Secure transactions. Its fraud prevention platform combines real-time risk intelligence, powered by the Outseer Risk Engine, with behavioural biometrics, device, transaction and contextual signals, and intelligence from the Outseer Global Data Network. It helps organisations detect scams and mule activity, and orchestrate the right authentication responses, including FIDO and passkeys, when additional assurance is needed.

Trusted by thousands of clients in more than 50 countries, including hundreds of the world’s largest financial institutions, Outseer safeguards more than 450 million accounts, 100 billion transactions and $5 trillion annually. Outseer helps banks, card issuers and payment providers stop fraud and scams, reduce unnecessary friction for genuine customers, and make smarter risk decisions across digital banking and card payments. Learn more at outseer.com.

Media Contact
Sarah Rutherford
sarah.rutherford@outseer.com
+44 7796 268174

Sarah Rutherford
Outseer
+44 7796 268174