Police estimate that Islanders could lose more than £5 million to scams this year as officers report a sharp increase in investment fraud. Inspector Chris Beechey who leads the Jersey Fraud Prevention Forum said scammers had already taken over £4 million across eight major investment fraud cases in 2025.
He explained that fraud reports have reached their highest level in four years but stressed that this likely represents only a small part of the real problem. He warned that “investment scams can devastate lives. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
The forum stated that investment scams are becoming more advanced. It said criminals often pretend to be genuine financial advisers or create realistic online platforms to attract victims with promises of high returns or offers that appear to be risk free. It added that cryptocurrency related scams have also increased as criminals exploit people’s uncertainty around digital currencies including Bitcoin to persuade them to send money.
Inspector Beechey said there has been a “significant rise” in investment and cryptocurrency fraud although other types of scams continue to affect victims. He added that the emotional and financial consequences can be severe. He said “what we know is that the impact on any victim of fraud and scam is significant… whether you have lost a million pounds or five pounds the impact on you can be just as devastating.”
To help people protect themselves the forum shared three simple steps:
Stop which means pause before sharing personal details or clicking any link.
Think which means consider the possibility that the contact or message is fake.
Protect which means reach out to your bank if unsure and report any fraud to police.
Inspector Beechey urged the public to be “as suspicious as possible” about such scams and to speak openly with friends family and colleagues about any worrying messages or attempts by scammers. He said “fraud thrives in silence. Let us talk about it.”
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