UK under-25s report far higher fraud exposure than older adults, Outseer survey finds

A new Outseer survey of 1,005 UK adults found 18–24 year-olds report much higher levels of account takeover, scams and checkout abandonment than those 65 and over. The findings suggest banks need to rethink both fraud protection and how they communicate security to younger customers.

Why it matters: - Fraud protection is a trust issue for UK consumers, and that trust influences where people choose to bank or spend. - Younger adults report much higher exposure to fraud than older adults, which suggests banks cannot treat fraud education as only an older-customer problem. - Security friction also affects sales and retention, because many consumers abandon purchases when checks feel slow or confusing.

What happened: - Outseer published a seven-market survey of 7,029 consumers across the UK, US, Sweden, Australia, India, Brazil and Singapore. - The UK sample included 1,005 adults and was conducted online in August 2026. - UK adults aged 18–24 were 10 times more likely than those 65 and over to say a fraudster had taken over their bank account. - 21.0% of UK 18–24s said they had personally experienced account takeover, compared with 2.1% of those aged 65 and over. - When experiences affecting family and friends were included, the figures rose to 39.0% for 18–24s and 3.8% for over-65s.

The details: - UK 18–24s reported much higher exposure to QR-code and payment-link scams than older adults when personal and shared experiences were counted: 44.8% versus 4.3%. - UK 18–24s also reported higher exposure to romance scams: 55.2% versus 10.3% for over-65s. - Across multiple fraud types, the UK age gap was the widest of the seven markets surveyed. - Only 5.7% of UK 18–24s chose “we are constantly monitoring for threats to your account” as the bank message that appealed most. - That compares with 28.6% of over-65s, a fivefold difference. - Younger respondents preferred “we stop fraud before it reaches you” at 36.2%. - Trust remains a major driver of bank choice, with 60.4% of UK consumers ranking fraud protection in their top three reasons for choosing a new bank or card provider. - 33.1% of UK consumers said a fraud or scam experience reduced their trust in their provider. - That share rises to 42.9% among 18–24s. - 33.7% said they would move some or all of their money if their bank failed to protect them. - 63.7% of UK respondents said they had abandoned an online checkout at least once because security checks were too slow or confusing. - That figure rises to 81.9% among 18–24s. - 76.9% said they react positively when a bank uses background technology to check it is really them making a payment. - Outseer said its broader platform uses AI-powered fraud detection and prevention, real-time risk intelligence, behavioural biometrics and device, transaction and contextual signals. - Outseer’s platform also orchestrates authentication responses, including FIDO and passkeys, when additional assurance is needed. - Outseer says it safeguards more than 450 million accounts, 100 billion transactions and $5 trillion annually. - The company says it works with thousands of clients in more than 50 countries, including hundreds of the world’s largest financial institutions. - Outseer’s UK eBook on the survey results is available here.

Between the lines: - The survey suggests younger consumers are not only more exposed to fraud, but also less persuaded by traditional bank security messaging. - The response gap points to a communication problem as much as a technology problem. - Banks may need to shift more fraud detection into the background if they want to reduce abandonment without weakening protection. - Yogesh Patel, Outseer’s chief technology officer, said banks have an opportunity to rethink both fraud protection and how it is communicated to customers. - Patel said customers tolerate familiar friction more than new, unexpected or unnecessary friction.

What's next: - Banks and payment providers may use the findings to adjust fraud messaging for younger customers. - Outseer is positioning background risk assessment, behavioural biometrics and contextual signals as a way to reduce visible friction. - The company’s survey results may also feed broader industry discussions about balancing security, trust and checkout conversion.

The bottom line: - Outseer’s survey says younger UK adults are reporting the highest fraud exposure, but they are also the least responsive to conventional security messaging. Banks that want trust and conversion may need to make fraud protection less visible and more targeted.