£18m Lost to Scams – Bank Data Reveals Purchase Fraud Was the Biggest Risk
June 24, 2025
Santander’s Q1 Scamtracker data revealed purchase scams were the most common type of scam causing customer losses
Between January and March 2025, Santander customers reported over £18.4 million in scam losses – a staggering figure that highlights the ongoing threat of fraud in the UK.
While overall losses dropped 13% compared to the previous quarter, scammers are clearly still exploiting emotional manipulation, urgency, and false promises to steal money across all age groups.
In this blog, we explore the key findings from Santander’s latest Scamtracker report – and what steps you can take if you’ve been caught out by a similar scam.
The Most Common Scams So Far in 2025
According to Santander’s Q1 Scamtracker:
- Purchase scams were the most common, responsible for over half of all reported cases. These often involve fake online listings – including a spike in fake ticket sales for events like Coldplay and Sabrina Carpenter concerts.
- Impersonation scams, where criminals pose as banks, HMRC or even loved ones, continue to cause serious financial harm, particularly to elderly customers.
- Advance-fee fraud and romance scams are also on the rise, often involving fake investment opportunities or relationships built online.
Who’s Being Targeted by scams?
Santander’s data reveals that no one is immune from fraud, but some groups are more heavily affected:
- Customers aged 80+ saw a 7% increase in scam losses since the previous quarter. Many of these involved bank impersonation scams.
- Younger victims (18–34) were also targeted more frequently, with losses up 6% – mostly due to purchase scams.
Where Are the Hotspots?
According to the bank, some regions saw dramatic spikes in scam activity:
- Devon: £1.32 million lost, a 315% increase
- Derbyshire: £1.32 million lost, a 467% increase
- London: 903 cases reported, totalling £3.8 million in losses
Other areas with high losses include Kent, Hampshire and Greater Manchester.
New Tactics: Scammers Hijack Popular Brands
One new trend noted by Santander is the use of fake ads on social media, such as a counterfeit Sports Direct promotion that reportedly scammed over 450 customers in just one week.
These scams often appear as sponsored posts, making them look legitimate. Victims are lured in with too-good-to-be-true deals and persuaded to pay up front for items that never arrive.
What You Can Do If You’ve Been Scammed
If you’ve fallen victim to a purchase scam, you’re not alone – and you may have options to recover your money, depending on the circumstances:
- Report the scam to your bank immediately
- Contact Action Fraud (the UK’s national reporting centre)
- Keep evidence: emails, texts, transaction details, screenshots
- Check if you may be eligible to make a complaint or recover your losses
Don’t Let a Scam Be the End of the Story
Falling victim to a scam can be financially and emotionally devastating.
At Compensation Adviser, we help people who’ve lost money to scams understand whether they may have grounds to recover their losses. We offer a free, no-obligation initial assessment with clear, FCA-authorised claims guidance.
You don’t need to use a claims management company to make a claim.
You can complain to your bank or the firm directly for free. If unresolved, you can escalate it to the Financial Ombudsman Service at no cost.
If you do choose to use us, our fees will apply and we’ll explain them upfront.
Compensation Adviser is a trading name of Pension Claim Consulting Ltd – a claims management company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 829766).