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14 August 2026 / Jonathan Fisher KC
Issue: 8174 / Categories: Opinion , Practice areas , Fraud , Criminal
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Fraud in the digital age

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© Paul Clarke
Jonathan Fisher KC on why the UK has an opportunity to lead the global fight against digital fraud

Fraud is running out of control. 40% of all criminal offences committed today are fraud-related, and of those, 70% involve technology. With a background in financial crime law, I have seen first-hand how fraud affects people’s lives, as well as the systemic weaknesses in how it is addressed. So, when I was asked by the government to conduct an independent review into the area, I understood the scale of the responsibility. My review, ‘Fraud in the Digital Age’, has now been published and sits alongside its counterpart, ‘Disclosure in the Digital Age’, published in March last year.

No silver bullet

The overarching purpose of my review is to drive down incidents of fraud. To do that, three main processes need to be improved: detection, investigation and prosecution.

Meanwhile, all of this must be considered within the context of the digital age. Technology facilitates the commission of fraud on a scale

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Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

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NEWS
The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
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