From drivers left sweltering on ‘greenhouse’ buses, to terrified new parents watching their babies sleep in baking bedrooms, the people of Britain are calling upon the Government to introduce a national heatwave resilience strategy

In Newham, East London, a worried father struggles to get his five-month-old daughter to sleep in baking 30°C heat, knowing that the temperature of a baby’s room shouldn’t exceed 20°C.

In Bristol, currently the hottest area of the country, a multiple sclerosis sufferer battles to see as the heat worsens her condition and robs her of her sight. Down the road, a bus driver is boiling in his ‘greenhouse on wheels’.

This is the Britain of 2026 as yet another heatwave grips the nation. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), an estimated 10,781 heat-associated deaths in England were recorded as “a direct consequence of heatwaves” between 2020 and 2024. Greenpeace told us: “This is not a freak event – it’s happening every single year and it’s a public health scandal.”

Without urgent adaptation, it’s projected that this figure will soar to approximately 11,000 fatal cases every single year by the 2050s. In recent days, the stark reality has been impossible to ignore, and many have accused the Government of not doing enough to protect people.

Weather forecasting maps suggest the mercury may soar to highs of 42°C, a foreboding warning of the sweltering summers to come. As Newham dad Jackson, 32, noted, “This is going to be the coldest summer of my daughter’s life.”

According to a startling new analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF) and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), more than 70,000 babies in England, one in every six, are currently living in overheated homes.

Babies in particular, who can’t regulate their temperature or manage dehydration, are at particular risk, and tragically, overheating can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Jackson says rising temperatures mean they’re thinking twice about having more children, with 40°C days in London becoming more frequent. “Naively, we didn’t really talk about what it means to bring someone into a world that is changing so much as a result of climate change,” he told The Mirror.

“I can’t imagine what parents are going through who have had kids in a heatwave or kids who are in neonatal intensive care units in boiling hot hospitals where air conditioning systems are failing because it’s getting hotter and hotter and they’re just not built to sustain it.”

For new parents like Jackson and his wife, it’s a frightening time. The couple don’t have permission to add an awning or other exterior shading, nor can they install air conditioning units. Closing the blinds can only do so much, and, with local children’s centres, which do have air conditioning, closing their doors in the heat, the family has been left isolated. The four fans they are running make little impact.

Standing out on his balcony while speaking with us, Jackson can see neighbours attempting to cool their homes with inefficient and minimally effective temporary air conditioning units. He believes it would be better for apartments to be built without “south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows that just let in heat throughout the whole day and no way to shade.” He added: “There needs to be a change in the way we design our buildings.”

Those with health conditions are also struggling in the extreme heat. Becky Lee, from Bristol, is dealing with additional heat sensitivity as a person living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic condition which affects a person’s brain and spinal cord.

Becky, 32, was first diagnosed around three years ago and can usually manage her MS well. However, heatwave conditions exacerbate symptoms such as fatigue, vision issues, and balance problems. “I’m a lot more tired. My vision is more blurry. And waking up in the morning, currently for like four hours after I wake up, and my whole body is covered in pins and needles,” she said.

The rollercoaster variations, from “boiling hot heatwave down to freezing cold again”, have made it particularly difficult for Becky to regulate her body temperature. And then there are the additional complications of living as a single person, with nobody else there to take over cooking, the heat from which has done nothing to help the situation.

“I felt ill all week. It will get better again because it will obviously cool down. But in my head, I’m planning for next year now, thinking I need to get aircon installed ASAP, which is such an expense that people don’t just have the money to kind of shell out,” she said.

A survey carried out by Scope’s Lived Experience Research Panel in June 2025 found that a quarter of disabled people are significantly affected by hot weather, while nearly half reported that their medication can make them more sensitive to its effects.

The impact on those with health conditions or disabilities was recently highlighted in a harrowing TikTok post by social media creator @Lozzy112944.

The mum shared footage of her daughter, Lola, receiving therapy on the ninth floor of a London hospital, where she claims there was no air conditioning.

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At least, in some ways, project manager Becky counts herself as lucky that she is able to work indoors. For those working outside in scorching conditions, it’s another story entirely.

The Mirror spoke with Darren Ford, a bus driver of 17 years, who described the past week’s conditions as ‘horrendous. Darren, 45, works in Bristol, where overheated passengers have understandably been complaining about the stifling conditions on board.

But, as Unite the Union rep Darren notes, while passengers may be suffering through a 30 or 40-minute journey, drivers facing down a five-hour stretch are contending with far tougher challenges.

Darren told the Mirror: “It’s like a greenhouse on wheels. You’ve got all these different windows, and it’s magnifying the heat. There’s no anti-reflective UV on any of the windows, so trying to cool it down is near impossible.”

Opening the doors at every stop means “there’s just no way to keep the inside of that bus to a comfortable degree”, and for drivers, this can take a serious toll.

According to Darren, “you just feel overwhelmed. You’re sweating, you’re getting restless, tired, becoming fatigued, lightheaded, and dizzy. You can just feel everything just draining from you.”

Even a bottle of water in a cool bag won’t do much under such circumstances. Drivers who leave the house at 4 or 5 am may well find that the “cool bag is now a warm bag” by the time the sun comes up.

This comes as Unite the Union calls upon bus firms to act immediately to protect drivers from extreme temperatures, highlighting workers’ fear of being disciplined or losing pay should they complain, plus the pressure they feel to complete journeys on time.

Darren doesn’t place much stock in the notion of maximum working temperatures, noting that “the whole of the country is going to shut down” given how common extreme temperatures are becoming.

Going forward, Darren is instead urging the Government to put a plan in place – as it has for floods, storms and pandemics – to mandate that all public carrying vehicles be fitted with some form of air conditioning and ventilation system, and to look into solutions such as different glass designs to keep the inside as cool as possible.

He reasoned: “I don’t hear about this in the news every day about Australia, Spain, Greece, when I go on holiday every summer. And we’re little old Britain, why can’t this be?”

This follows a petition urging the Government to “introduce a national heat resilience strategy and legal protection for excessive temperature in workplaces and homes.”

This petition, which requires 10,000 signatures to be raised in Parliament, has called for the Government to create a joined-up strategy to tackle extreme heat and to consult on a number of related topics, including maximum safe indoor working temperatures, minimum cooling and ventilation standards for new-build housing, and funding to retrofit existing buildings, including homes.

Other suggestions include issuing public guidance and a focus on the implications for public transport during heatwaves. For many families across Britain, change simply can’t wait until next summer.

In a statement, Greenpeace told The Mirror: “The Government needs to stop winging it every time the country wilts in a heatwave. Extreme heat is no longer a rare inconvenience but a growing threat to public health, workers, children and critical infrastructure. Politicians need to start operating in the real world and wake up to the realities of a warming climate fuelled by the burning of fossil fuels.”

You can sign the petition to introduce a national heatwave resilience strategy and legal protections here

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

Prosecutors claimed he deliberately sought out a role at the facilities to give him access to children.

An adventure park volunteer who allegedly exposed himself to a group of girls said it was an “unfortunate accident” involving a damaged zipper, the High Court has heard.

Owen Lindsay, 23, is accused of targeting four members of a youth club attending the activity centre in Co Antrim earlier this month.

Prosecutors claimed he deliberately sought out a role at the facilities to give him access to children.

Lindsay, of River Mill in Randalstown, denies charges of indecent exposure, sexual communication with a child and sexual activity with someone aged between 13 and 16.

He was granted bail but banned from returning to the adventure park.

Lindsay is accused of exposing himself to the girls while working on a coffee stand at the site on June 13.

He also allegedly asked them to take off their bibs following an activity, helping one of them to remove her apron while saying, “I bet you can get undressed quicker than that”.

Police were alerted to the incident and arrested Lindsay at this home the following day.

During interviews, he accepted being at the centre and helping to organise equipment used by the children.

He denied intentionally exposing himself or any sexual motivation for his behaviour.

Claiming his trousers were faulty, he told police he does not wear underwear and had removed tracksuit bottoms due to the heat.

Lord Justice Treacy described the account provided as “very unusual”.

“He said it was an unfortunate accident that just happened to be in front of four young girls, and the zipper had been damaged for some time,” the judge commented.

Opposing bail, Crown Counsel Mark Conlon claimed Lindsay had a specific motivation for working at the facilities.

“Police are of the view that he deliberately sought employment which would give him access to children,” he submitted.

Defence barrister Turlough Madden challenged the prosecution’s assertions, arguing his client had volunteered at the adventure park for nine years.

He told the court Lindsay has been diagnosed as autistic and has been involved with mental health services since he was a teenager.

“His parents are significantly concerned about his own vulnerabilities and susceptibilities to being targeted,” Mr Madden said.

“In the past, friends took advantage and exposed him to financial risk.”

Granting bail, Lord Justice Treacy indicated there were issues which need to be addressed outside of a custodial environment.

“At the moment, Maghaberry (Prison) is not the best place for him to be,” the judge said.

But ordering Lindsay not to contact any complainants or attend the activity centre, he stressed: “Other steps need to be taken to protect young people.”

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Elsewhere, Elsewhere, Millwall will be hoping to go one better after missing out on automatic promotion to the Premier League by one point. AFC Wimbledon will be hoping to look at the League One table, rather than down, after avoiding relegation by four points. Follow the fixture release live below from 10am BST!

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Brits who are holidaying on the largest of the Canary Islands this summer have been issued advice ahead of their flight home – owing to queues caused by the EU Entry/Exit System

Brits heading to Tenerife this summer have been warned to “expect queues” and to “arrive early”, particularly when it comes to flying home from the island’s South Airport. Andrew Knight, who is originally from the UK but moved to the Canary Island and established his own bar, Buddies Bar Los Cristianos, aimed his advice at those who are reaching the end of their holiday.

“Are you flying from Tenerife South Airport this summer?” he began in a video. “They recommend you arrive three hours early if you are flying outside the Schengen Area – so that applies if you are going to the UK.”

Andrew went on to explain that the delays are largely the result of the newly-implemented EES (EU Entry/Exit System), which is a a digital border system for non-EU travellers (including UK citizens) visiting the Schengen Area.

How the new EU entry/exit system (EES) biometric checks cause airport delays

The EES replaces manual passport stamps with biometric tracking, requiring first-time registrants to provide fingerprints and a photo at the border.

Andrew continued: “As a reminder though, if you are one of the early morning flights, don’t get here too early then because airport access is restricted when there are no [immediate] flights.”

As for those arriving at Tenerife South, the Brit told travellers to “expect some queues”, but reported things had “all been pretty smooth” in recent times.

“There’s been a few unlucky people who have had to wait a couple of hours where the [EES] system has gone wrong, so you never know… just be prepared for it,” Andrew added.

Essential travel tips and budget transportation options for Tenerife tourists

As for any potential hold-ups, he also advised: “Go to the toilet on the plane, have a bottle of water and have some entertainment ready for the kids just in case the system is not playing ball and there are some queues.”

As a money saving tip, meanwhile, Andrew suggested holidaymakers catch the number 40 express bus from the airport if travelling to locations including Los Cristianos, Playa de las Americas and Costa Adeje for around €3.50 (£3.02).

“It’s a bargain and it runs every 30 minutes,” he praised. “And it will save you a big chunk on taxis.”

Andrew closed by telling his followers to be wary of what gate they should be heading to after visiting duty-free. “You will see the screens, which tell you which area your flight is going from in terms of gates,” he said. “Whether it is A, B or C, make sure you are there in plenty of time.”

Writing in response, one recent visitor to Tenerife hailed: “Flew home today, 6pm flight. Airport was so smooth, Jet2 staff were amazing sorting baggage, few bottles in duty-free ,had a meal in Giraffe, it was fab.”

A second quipped: “Flew out 6pm last night, was through in no time, the airport was a doddle. I did, however, have to sit in the VIP lounge for 2 hours drinking Cava and a mini buffet, so I was ok.”

However, a third person wasn’t as impressed, penning: “It took us 2 hours to get through because of the sheer amount of people going through and the lack of assistance.”

One school has shut for two days, while a number of others are sending pupils home early as temperatures are forecast to hit 33C across the town.

University Collegiate School and Sharples School and Westhoughton High School have both changed arrangements because of the extreme heat affecting the region.

There is a amber alert for extreme heat currently covering the town.

The official list on Bolton Council’s website. (Image: Bolton Council)

Bolton Council said University Collegiate School on Deane Road will be closed to pupils on Thursday, June 25, and Friday, June 26.

Sharples Secondary School will be closed at 12.30 today, June 25.

Westhoughton High School is to close today at 2.15 pm, which it did yesterday as well. The sports day will be postponed until next Tuesday, June 30.

The move comes as the town remains under warnings for exceptionally high temperatures, with today expected to be the hottest day of the week.

(Image: Newsquest)

Caroline Molyneux, headteacher at Sharples School, said: “The pupils at Sharples have been fantastic this week during the hot weather and with amendments to uniform requirements and ensuring that everyone stays hydrated, we have had a positive week.

“However, today is due to be hotter again, so allowing families the option for pupils to go home and stay cool this afternoon, which will benefit their concentration levels when they return tomorrow.”

Pupils who need supervision are allowed to remain on site until 3.15 pm, with air-conditioned rooms available.

(Image: NQ)

Year Eight parents’ evening is also due to go ahead as planned in air-conditioned rooms between 4 pm and 7 pm.

Bolton Council said University Collegiate School would reopen to all pupils on Monday, June 29.

Ms Molyneux said: “We are closing early, but students can stay on to continue learning this afternoon if parents require it.

“The school remains open all day with provision for these children and we have Parents Evening for Year Eight families this afternoon 4-7pm.”

She added: “It also means that our staff can have some respite from the unprecedentedly hot weather this week before returning for the parents evening.

“We have received thank you messages from our families for our commitment to the wellbeing of the students.”

Schools across Bolton have relaxed uniform rules this week, with many allowing pupils to wear PE kits and encouraging students to stay hydrated.

The Department for Education has said children should continue attending school if it remains open, with decisions on closures being left to individual schools.

Westhoughton High School posted: “The forecast for Thursday is now for high temperatures with no cloud cover. In accordance with DfE guidance we will postpone sports day / inflatables rewards until Tuesday June 30th.

“School will close at 2.15pm on Wednesday and Thursday this week. A full message has been sent to all families. Thank you.”

EXCLUSIVE: Senior Scottish Labour figures are furious Sarwar said it is his “intention” to stay on for another five years.

Anas Sarwar has been urged to lay out a timetable for his departure as Scottish Labour leader after Keir Starmer resigned as Prime Minister.

One senior party source accused Sarwar of “bed blocking” over claims he wanted to stay in post for another five years.

Another insider said the leader and his deputy Jackie Baillie are behaving like “squatters”.

Sarwar led his party to its worst ever Holyrood election result last month – falling to 17 MSPs.

His Holyrood colleagues accept Starmer’s unpopularity was the main factor behind the defeat, but party insiders also say the campaign run by Sarwar was poor.

A number of Scottish Labour figures were annoyed this week when Sarwar said he intended to lead the party into the 2031 Holyrood election.

This would be his third attempt at becoming First Minister and mark ten years in charge of his party.

One senior source: “We are ten months from Scotland returning to the ballot box for the local elections, yet nothing has been done to rebuild since May’s disaster. Anas and Jackie are behaving like squatters – refusing to take responsibility while Scottish Labour sleepwalks into a civil war.

“The humiliating fourth-place finishes in the recent Westminster by elections are killing morale.

“The SNP have left Scotland’s public services broken but Scottish Labour can only defeat them if we break out of our Central Belt bubble. We need leadership that understands all of Scotland – before it’s too late.”

A second source was more dismissive: “If Anas stayed on until the next Scottish Parliament election, that would mean he had been leader for a decade, longer than Neil Kinnock. Bed blocking won’t get us anywhere.

“There needs to be an orderly transition along the lines we are seeing at Westminster.”

This was a reference to Starmer quitting on Monday and effectively making way for newly-elected MP Andy Burnham.

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Scottish Labour’s governing body has launched a review of the Holyrood, with the relationship with the UK party part of the terms of reference.

The final report is likely to be issued in September – weeks before the UK Labour conference – and a third Labour insider said the review should coincide with Sarwar vacating the leadership.

He said: “Once the new Prime Minister takes office attention really needs to turn to Scottish Labour and what went wrong in the Scottish campaign.

“So far the Holyrood group is in a state between drifting, as new MSPs have no idea what they should be doing, and trying to carry on with business as usual as the more experienced hands continue the same attacks on John Swinney and the SNP. There cannot be a wasted summer of inertia.

“People were surprised by Anas’ statement this week that he will serve a full term. There is a lot of support for him to lead us through a review but the reality will have to be faced that even with a fresh start and new occupant in number 10 can he really go back to the country in 2031 for a third time?”

He added: “Members will expect clear direction and a timetable for his departure.”

Two MSPs tipped to be potential successors are Michael Marra and Paul Sweeney.

Supporters of Marra, who represents the North East region, favour a coronation over a contest if Sarwar stands down.

Sweeney, a Glasgow MSP, is not believed to be enthusiastic about standing for the job.

One senior insider said Marra would struggle to win a contest as his views would not chime with party members.

Another source said Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie does not want Marra to take over. She is instead believed to be a fan of newly-elected South Scotland MSP Joe Fagan.

It is also unclear whether party rules would allow a Scottish Labour MP to stand for leader, as was the case in 2014 when Jim Murphy stood and won.

Asked if he intended to serve a full five-year term at Holyrood as Scottish Labour leader, Sawar said this week: “That is my intention, I’m hungry for the fight ahead, and I want to help make sure this country never ends up in the hands of Nigel Farage and Reform.”

A Scottish Labour spokesperson said: “This is nonsense. While there are undoubtedly lessons to be learned from the election, Anas Sarwar is holding the SNP government to account, taking on the poison of Reform and ensuring a UK Labour government and the next Prime Minister are focused on delivering for people in Scotland.”

While temperatures soar today, heavy downpours are also on the horizon.

The Met Office has issued two yellow thunderstorm warnings, with Scots being warned that heavy rain and thunder could cause disruption. This comes as temperatures are set to soar this afternoon, with Dumfries expected to hit 31C.

Scots will need to have both sunscreen and their umbrellas on hand as the national forecaster has issued its first of two yellow warnings to begin at 3pm this afternoon (June 25). Impacting the north west of Scotland, including the Orkney Islands, as well as parts of the Highlands and Argyll and Bute, this warning is in place until 11:59pm.

The Met Office’s warning reads: “Rain will become heavier, more persistent and more widespread during Thursday afternoon and evening with thunderstorms then potentially also developing in some places.

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“Rainfall amounts will be highly variable but narrow corridors of 20-30 mm falling in one hour and potentially 30-50 mm in three hours is possible.” The forecaster is also predicting that stronger storms could also bring frequent lightning, gusty winds, and large hail up to 4cm in diameter.

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This first warning carries on into the second yellow alert, which engulfs the entirety of Scotland from midnight on Friday, June 26, until 11:59pm that evening. Scots are being warned that travel delays and cancellations may occur due to flooding or lightning strikes.

Additionally, there is a small chance that some communities could be cut off by flooded roads, while others may also experience power cuts. In order to be prepared, it is advised that Scots dig out torches, batteries, and portable chargers, as well as other essential items.

The Met Office’s Friday thunderstorm warning reads: “Spells of heavy rain and thunderstorms initially over northwest Scotland are likely to become more widespread during Friday morning. Further thunderstorms and spells of heavy rain are possible in the afternoon before becoming confined to more northern areas of Scotland later in the day.”

If Scots do find themselves outside and hear thunder, you should protect yourself by finding a safe enclosed shelter to hide in, such as your car.

It is crucial that you avoid sheltering under or near trees, or other structures that may be struck by lightning. Additionally, you should move to lower ground if you are in an elevated area.

With gusty winds also forecast, Scots are being urged to ensure any moveable objects or temporary structures are well secured to protect your property and other people from harm. This includes bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, gazebos, sheds, and fences.

If Scots must travel, make sure to check road driving conditions ahead of your journey to avoid delays. Those using public transport should also look out for any schedule changes or cancellations.

Areas impacted by Thursday, June 25, warning

Grampian

Highlands & Eilean Siar

Orkney & Shetland

Strathclyde

Areas impacted by Friday, June 26, warning

Central, Tayside & Fife

• Angus
• Clackmannanshire
• Dundee
• Falkirk
• Fife
• Perth and Kinross
• Stirling

Grampian

• Aberdeen
• Aberdeenshire
• Moray

Highlands & Eilean Siar

• Na h-Eileanan Siar
• Highland

Orkney & Shetland

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders

• Dumfries and Galloway
• East Lothian
• Edinburgh
• Midlothian Council
• Scottish Borders
• West Lothian

Strathclyde

• Argyll and Bute
• East Ayrshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• East Renfrewshire
• Glasgow
• Inverclyde
• North Ayrshire
• North Lanarkshire
• Renfrewshire
• South Ayrshire
• South Lanarkshire
• West Dunbartonshire

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans are inundated with scam attempts on a daily basis — and about 3 in 10 have personally lost money or personal information to scams, according to a new AP-NORC survey.

The poll, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in February, highlights the obstacle course that U.S. adults navigate daily as they screen calls, ignore messages or try to puzzle out if that urgent request from their cellphone provider is legitimate.

A separate survey conducted by Gallup and the Stop Scams Alliance that was provided exclusively to the AP found that last year alone, about 1 in 10 U.S. adults said they or someone else from their household was deceived by a scammer into losing money or providing access to a financial account, with nearly half saying they lost more than $500.

That leaves many Americans feeling like they’re constantly at risk of falling for a scam, often without a sense of recourse. In both surveys, few victims said they reported the scam to the federal government or local law enforcement. Many victims didn’t report the scam, Gallup found, because they didn’t think it would make a difference in getting money back.

“You’ve got to be pretty sophisticated these days,” said Adam Pratter, 42. He has run into problems on dating apps — and once ended up sending money to a person who claimed they were overseas because of a military deployment and needed money to buy food. He realized it was a scam when the requests didn’t stop.

Pratter thinks banks and social media companies have a responsibility to help people who have been scammed, but also believes the government needs to do more.

“If federal regulation wanted to step in and make deals with these companies to get these people their money back, they could,” he said.

For many Americans, scam attempts are constant

Americans are flooded with scam attempts, according to both surveys. More than half, 58%, of U.S. adults in the AP-NORC poll said they receive daily text messages, phone calls, emails, online messages or online advertisements that they suspect are scams, while the Gallup survey found last year that about 4 in 10 experienced attempted scams on a daily basis.

Porschel Smith, 22, gets multiple scam calls every day, and receives even more scam emails. Some of the scams are easy for her to identify. “They mention different types of programs that I know are nonexistent,” she said.

But sometimes she ends up engaging with the scammer before realizing that something is wrong. “Some of them hack your account and pretend as if they’re someone that you know,” she said. “But then I get to asking questions and realize they’re scams.”

Older people are more likely to say they receive scam attempts daily, according to the AP-NORC poll. About 7 in 10 U.S. adults ages 60 and older say they are contacted by a suspected scammer at least once a day, compared to about 4 in 10 Americans under 30.

Among those who have received suspected scam attempts, the AP-NORC poll found that outreach involving package shipments or banking were among the most common methods. About 4 in 10 people who were contacted by scammers say at least one of the attempts they received over the past few years were through Facebook or Facebook Messenger, while about 2 in 10 said they were on WhatsApp, and a similar share said they were on Instagram.

Around 30% of US adults say they’ve been scammed personally

The impact of scams is far-reaching. About half, 51%, of U.S. adults know someone personally — such as a friend or family member — who has ever lost money as the result of a scam, the AP-NORC poll found, while about 3 in 10 U.S. adults say they have personally been scammed into giving away money or personal information.

The Gallup survey found that about 1 in 10 U.S. adults said they or a member of their household was scammed out of money in 2025, with 6% saying they had been personally scammed.

About half of people whose household experienced scams last year reported losing between $125 and $2,000, according to Gallup.

About 1 in 10 U.S. adults have been scammed multiple times, Gallup found.

“It’s not easy. They know what they’re doing,” said Towonna Harris, 50. Her son was once contacted by scammers who promised to give him money for tuition if he authorized a nominal credit card charge, which quickly spiraled into a much bigger set of charges.

She’s experienced other kinds of scams on a smaller scale, too. “I ordered some stuff. I never got it,” she said. “I thought it was a legitimate company. And then I saw all these reviews saying it was a scam.”

Few scam victims report to law enforcement

Virtually all U.S. adults believe that scams pose a “major” or “minor” threat to individuals in the U.S., but few think the government is doing enough to solve the problem. About 8 in 10 Americans say the government is “definitely” or “probably” doing too little to prevent scams, according to the Gallup survey, including large majorities of Republicans and Democrats.

When people are scammed, both surveys found that victims are much likelier to reach out to financial institutions than the federal government or local law enforcement. About half, 55%, of people who were scammed last year reported to a bank, credit union or other financial institution, the Gallup poll found, but only 18% contacted state or local law enforcement, while 13% reported to either federal law enforcement or the Federal Trade Commission.

Many victims don’t make a report because they don’t think it will help, or don’t know where to go, Gallup found. Among people who were scammed in 2025, 75% said they didn’t report because they thought it wouldn’t make a difference in getting their money back, while 58% were uncertain where to report.

More broadly, Americans express very low confidence that they’d know how to report a scam to the government if they needed to. According to the AP-NORC poll, most Americans, 55%, say they are “extremely” or “very” confident that if they were scammed, they’d know how to report it to banks or credit card companies, but only about one-quarter are similarly confident that they’d know how to report to federal or state law enforcement.

Only about one-third of U.S. adults said they would know where to make a report if they lost $5,000 in a scam today, Gallup found.

Max Anderson, 23, said that his parents are small business owners who were the victims of a costly and complex scam. “A scammer successfully imitated one of their employees and changed their direct deposit information. This went on for about 3 months. It went to $15,000,” he said.

Eventually, Anderson’s father got help from the FBI, he said.

“I do like that the government stepped in with my parents, and I feel like that’s the way it should be,” he said. “It’s a big enough problem at this point that it falls to the government and companies to do something about it.”

___

Associated Press reporters Mary Rajkumar, Juliet Linderman and Erika Kinetz contributed to this report. Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism student Molly Wallace contributed to this report.

___

The AP-NORC poll of 1,133 adults was conducted Feb. 19-23 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

The Stop Scams Alliance-Gallup poll of 5,173 adults was conducted Jan. 8-Feb. 18 using a sample drawn from Gallup’s probability-based Gallup Panel. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.