New report looks into impact of fraud

A new study by the Victims’ Commissioner has revealed that approximately 4.6 million people are affected by fraud every year - with 700,000 experiencing profound suffering as a result; yet presently only 15% of victims report being defrauded either to the police or Action Fraud.

We know CPA behaviours can often include financial abuse – either through theft, coercing parents into making purchases, or taking out credit cards and other items in the parent’s name. The latter of course is fraud, and anecdotally we know that many parents affected by CPA would fall under that 85% who don’t report the incident.

That’s why we were concerned to read the report’s findings, which include:

• Fraud cases have surged by 24% during the Covid pandemic.

• Fraud has grown hugely in recent years and now accounts for 39% of all crime.

• Estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) showed there were 4.6 million fraud offences in the year ending March 2021, compared to 3 million incidents of theft and 1.6 million incidents of violent crime.

These crimes may not be officially recorded for a variety of reasons, including fear, embarrassment and intimidation, all of which are often factors when CPA is occurring – as well as parents understandably not wanting report their children to authorities for such a serious offence.

The study concluded that too many victims still receive poor service from the police and are denied justice, and that both investigation and prevention of fraud services remain under-resourced.

Currently 2% of police resources are allocated to fraud, and fewer than 8,000 prosecutions were recorded in 2019. In July 2021, the Government published its ‘Beating Crime’ plan and promised to replace Action Fraud with an improved national fraud and cybercrime reporting system. This may facilitate the ways to report fraud, yet the emotional impact is just as important.

The Victims’ Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC, said: “We know that the police response to fraud, though getting better, is still not good enough. But it’s not just the investigative response to fraud that needs attention. We need to know how well the overwhelming majority of fraud victims – who will not get a criminal justice outcome – are being supported. Most experience little to no victim are.”

Diana Fawcett, Chief Executive of the independent charity Victim Support, added: “We welcome this timely and detailed report from the Victims’ Commissioner. The publication of the Government’s fraud strategy can’t come soon enough – it needs to be bold, ambitious and backed up by significant resourcing.”

You can read the full report here.

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Founding Director, Michelle, has been awarded an MBE in the Kings Birthday Honours for Family Support and Advocacy.

By PEGS Admin • June 15, 2026

Child to Parent Abuse organisation founder awarded MBE The founder of a social enterprise which has supported thousands of parents impacted by abusive behaviours from their children has been awarded an MBE. Michelle John, originally from Pembrokeshire in Wales but now based in Shropshire, was among the names announced for the prestigious accolade in the King’s Birthday Honours List this year. In 2020, Michelle set up not-for-profit organisation PEGS with the aim of supporting parents and carers, training professionals, influencing local and national policy, and raising awareness of Child to Parent Abuse – which is thought to affect up to one in ten households in the UK. Since then, she has grown a team of experts who have trained police, social workers, teachers and many other professionals to better recognise the signs of CPA, support parents, and signpost to specialist organisations. In addition, Michelle set up a range of parent-focused initiatives including daily practitioner-led online sessions, a Facebook peer support group which now has 3,300 members, and one-to-one offerings for those at highest risk. PEGS launched a CPA Covenant for employers in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, only the fourth such covenant to be backed by the Government, and Michelle has advised everyone from the Home Office to Channel 4 and the BBC on CPA – the latter for storyline on Hollyoaks and EastEnders. Her work has seen CPA covered by journalists across television news programmes, national newspapers and magazine, and regional press and radio, and she’s received numerous awards both in the UK and internationally. Michelle, whose MBE was awarded for Family Support and Advocacy, said: “This honour is also shared with the parents who have trusted me along the way: they drive me, inspire me and I will always stand with them. “I feel proud, privileged and very grateful – and I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me and PEGS along the way. There is much more to come for PEGS, and we will continue to work every day for the parents and carers who have been or continue to be impacted by CPA. “There is so much to reflect on from the journey of the last six years, and there have been many highlights and challenges along the way. I am sure there will be many more in the future – although being told I’d received an MBE will always remain a truly incredible moment that I’ll remember forever!” For more information about us, visit www.pegsupport.co.uk or search for 'PEGS' on social media!