These are the most common types of scams in the UK in 2025

In 2024, according to European financial regulators, payment fraud across the European Economic Area (EEA) amounted to over £3.6 billion, with over 1 in 4 European consumers falling for fraud in the last five years.

With this in mind, BrokerChooser decided to investigate the most common types of scams in the UK, using internal data and insights from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), who surveyed over 58,300 adults across the globe about their views and experiences regarding scams.

What are the most common types of scams in the UK in 2025?

According to GASA’s survey2, 67% of world citizens believe they have the skills to recognise scams. Despite that, more 1 in 4 Brits only realise they have fallen for a scam when made aware by either their bank or a close friend/relative.

Table 1: The most common scams in Europe

Whilst scams are usually delivered via email (68%), text messages (64%), and phone calls (59%), almost 4 in 10 Brits also reported social media posts as a scam technique they commonly face.

The report also shows that nearly half of the scams in the UK are over within 24 hours of first contact, 27% of which can happen within minutes. This highlights the importance of being able to recognise potential scams early on in order to take appropriate action and showcases the role UK banks have in pointing out scams, which isn’t the case in many other European countries.

In the UK, 71% of Brits are confident they would be able to recognise a scam, a 2% increase from the previous year. The most common types of scams are shopping (19%), followed closely by identity theft (18%).

However, investment scams (13%) have climbed to the third place after a 5% increase in the last 12 months, showing the steady increase in risk for traders and investors. These results correlate with European data, showing that Brits are facing the same threats both at home, and on holiday abroad.

This is also the case in the U.S, where investment and cryptocurrency scams still lead the way as the most prevalent source of scams, with a median loss of $5,000 per scam. Employment and romance scams rank second and third with a median loss of $1,500 and $6,099 respectively. Interestingly, 2 in 5 Americans reported that scammers spent time building a romance or a friendship before perpetrating an investment scam3.

Credit card amount for nearly half of all scam payments

In the UK, credit cards make over 46% of all scam payments, followed by bank transfers (32%), and PayPal (28%). Gift cards have dropped in popularity in the past year, when e-Wallet scams are on the rise.

Whilst the focus for scammers seems to be heavily increased on digital payment options, the UK is the fourth most impacted country in the world by credit card fraud (48%), behind Australia (55%), Switzerland (53%), and France (50%). The re-victimisation rate is also alarming, with the average Brit getting scammed over 2.4 times before taking the appropriate steps to avoid further losses.

How can you protect yourself from investment scams?

Investment and cryptocurrency being on the rise in the UK, it is important for Brits to think twice before making a payment to a person or company they do not know. BrokerChooser provides their top tips to help you protect yourself from investment scams:

• Stay Informed – Always check the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Register to verify if an investment firm is authorised. Follow trusted financial news sources and be wary of “too good to be true” returns.
• Seek Support – Your bank and financial advisor can help spot red flags. If you suspect a scam, report it to Action Fraud or the FCA’s ScamSmart website.
• Choose Brokers Wisely – Only invest through FCA-regulated brokers. Avoid firms that pressure you to act fast, lack a clear track record, or communicate via social media and messaging apps.

To find out which FCA authorised broker fits best your needs, visit BrokerChooser’s personalised comparison tool to get the best recommendation: https://brokerchooser.com/find-my-broker