The clearest public data on power of attorney fraud in England and Wales comes from the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), the government body that supervises attorneys and deputies. In 2024 to 2025 it received 11,266 concerns and accepted 3,823 of them (34%) as investigations (OPG Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025, gov.uk).
Those figures cover every type of concern, from honest mistakes and poor record-keeping to suspected theft and financial abuse, so they are wider than fraud alone. There is no single national count of proven "power of attorney fraud", because criminal cases sit with the police and courts rather than in one dataset. This page gathers the official statistics that do exist, shows how they have moved over three years, and explains what they can and cannot tell you. Every figure is dated to its reference period and linked to a named source. This is general information, not advice.
Key figures at a glance
The table below collects the headline power of attorney oversight statistics for England and Wales, each with its source and reference period. Concerns are wider than fraud, and an accepted investigation is not itself a finding of wrongdoing. The register total gives a sense of scale: the number of arrangements in force against which concerns are measured.
| Measure | Figure | Reference period & source |
|---|---|---|
| Concerns raised with OPG | 11,266 | 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk) |
| Concerns accepted as investigations | 3,823 (34%) | 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk) |
| Investigations closed in the year | 3,465 | 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk) |
| Active investigations at year end | 2,566 (at 31 March 2025) | 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk) |
| Supervision & investigation applications to the Court of Protection | 509 | 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk) |
| Current LPAs and EPAs on the register | 9,340,910 (at 31 March 2025) | 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk) |
| Power of attorney applications received | 1,367,053 | 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk) |
All figures England and Wales. Concerns cover mistakes and poor practice as well as suspected abuse, so they are broader than fraud. Reference period 2024 to 2025; statistics reflect the periods stated and later figures may differ.
What counts as power of attorney fraud?
Power of attorney fraud generally means an attorney misusing their legal authority for personal gain, for example taking money, selling assets, or making gifts the donor did not authorise. OPG can investigate any attorney or deputy, and suspected criminal acts such as theft or fraud can be referred to the police (gov.uk, report a concern about an attorney, deputy or guardian).
Because prosecutions run through the criminal justice system, the OPG figures are best read as a measure of concerns and civil oversight rather than a count of convictions. A concern is a report; an investigation is a review of that report; and only a court can decide whether an attorney has acted unlawfully. Many concerns turn out to involve confusion or poor record-keeping rather than dishonesty. Related reading sits in our guide to power of attorney and financial abuse.
Concerns and investigations are rising
Concerns and investigations have both grown over the past three years. Investigations closed by OPG rose from 2,504 in 2022 to 2023 to 3,465 in 2024 to 2025, and active investigations at year end more than doubled across the same span (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk). The OPG links this trend to the growing number of powers of attorney in use.
| Measure | 2022 to 2023 | 2023 to 2024 | 2024 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concerns raised | Not stated as annual total | 10,577 | 11,266 |
| Investigations closed | 2,504 | 2,884 | 3,465 |
| Active investigations at 31 March | 1,034 | 1,778 | 2,566 |
Concerns raised and 2023 to 2024 comparatives: OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk. 2022 to 2023 figures: OPG Annual Report 2022 to 2023, gov.uk. England and Wales.
The OPG also reports that it risk assessed 98% of all concerns within two working days in 2024 to 2025, against a 95% target, and refers cases involving possible harm to the police or social services where appropriate (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk).
Court of Protection cases
When OPG believes an attorney or deputy should be supervised more closely or removed, it can apply to the Court of Protection. It filed 509 supervision and investigation applications in 2024 to 2025, down from 577 in 2023 to 2024 and 704 in 2022 to 2023, even as concerns rose (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk).
| Year | Supervision & investigation applications to the Court of Protection |
|---|---|
| 2022 to 2023 | 704 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 577 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 509 |
2024 to 2025 and 2023 to 2024: OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk. 2022 to 2023: OPG Annual Report 2022 to 2023, gov.uk. These applications typically seek closer supervision or the removal of an attorney or deputy; they are not themselves findings of fraud.
Fraud in context: the size of the register
Set against the number of arrangements in force, reported concerns involve a small share of all powers of attorney. At 31 March 2025 there were 9,340,910 current lasting and enduring powers of attorney on the register, compared with 11,266 concerns raised during that year (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk).
The register has grown quickly, from 6,850,834 documents at 31 March 2023 (OPG Annual Report 2022 to 2023, gov.uk) to 9,340,910 two years later. Rising concern numbers should be read alongside this growth rather than in isolation. It can be worth remembering that most concerns are not fraud, and that under-reporting is also possible, so the true level of misuse cannot be read directly from these figures. For how the underlying documents work, see our Lasting Power of Attorney Explained guide.
What the numbers mean
Read together, the data suggests oversight activity is rising broadly in line with the number of powers of attorney in use, rather than pointing to a proven surge in fraud. Concerns and investigations have grown; court applications have not. That gap is worth sitting with rather than over-interpreting.
A few points of caution seem fair. First, "concerns" is a deliberately broad category that includes honest errors, so it overstates fraud if read as a fraud count. Second, only about a third of concerns are accepted as investigations, and an investigation is a review, not a verdict. Third, falling Court of Protection application numbers do not necessarily mean fewer serious cases; they may reflect changes in how OPG resolves matters short of court, and the figures alone cannot separate those explanations. Fourth, any dataset built on reports will miss abuse that is never reported, so the real picture may be larger than the recorded one. For these reasons, the honest summary is that official statistics show growing oversight of a fast-growing system, and that anyone worried about a specific arrangement may prefer to raise it with the OPG and, where appropriate, take independent advice. Powers of attorney also sit within a wider set of documents, as our estate planning guide explains.
Sources and methodology
Every statistic on this page comes from published Office of the Public Guardian annual reports on gov.uk. Figures are quoted as stated in those reports, with no rounding, estimation or extrapolation beyond the source. The OPG is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice and its figures cover England and Wales.
- OPG Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025 (web version), gov.uk: concerns raised, investigations, active investigations, Court of Protection applications, register total and applications received, reference period 2024 to 2025.
- OPG Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023, gov.uk: 2022 to 2023 comparatives for investigations, court applications and the register.
- Report a concern about an attorney, deputy or guardian, gov.uk: how OPG's concern and investigation process works, and when matters are referred to the police.
Statistics reflect the reference periods stated and may be revised in later reports. This page was last reviewed in July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How common is power of attorney fraud in the UK?
There is no single official count of proven power of attorney fraud. The nearest measure is the Office of the Public Guardian's concern figures: 11,266 concerns were raised in 2024 to 2025, of which 3,823 (34%) were accepted as investigations (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk). Those numbers include mistakes and poor practice, so they are broader than fraud.
How many powers of attorney are registered in England and Wales?
At 31 March 2025 there were 9,340,910 current lasting and enduring powers of attorney on the register, and the OPG received 1,367,053 applications during 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk). Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate systems, so these totals apply to England and Wales only.
Is power of attorney fraud increasing?
Concerns and investigations have risen: investigations closed by OPG went from 2,504 in 2022 to 2023 to 3,465 in 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk). This has grown alongside a fast-rising number of powers of attorney, so the figures may reflect a larger system rather than proven fraud alone, and cannot be read as a conviction count.
How do I report suspected power of attorney fraud?
Concerns about an attorney, deputy or guardian can be raised with the Office of the Public Guardian, which risk assesses reports and can refer possible criminal matters such as theft or fraud to the police (gov.uk, report a concern). Where someone is in immediate danger, many people contact the police directly. This is general information, not advice on a specific case.
Does the Court of Protection remove attorneys who commit fraud?
The Court of Protection can supervise or remove an attorney or deputy. The OPG filed 509 supervision and investigation applications in 2024 to 2025 (OPG Annual Report 2024 to 2025, gov.uk). An application is a request for the court to act; it is not itself a finding that fraud occurred, and outcomes depend on the individual case.
Do these statistics cover Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. The Office of the Public Guardian figures cover England and Wales. Scotland has its own Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) and continuing and welfare powers of attorney, while Northern Ireland operates a separate system. Anyone comparing across the UK nations would generally need to look at each jurisdiction's own published data.