- The ‘Santander Quarterly Scamtracker’ charts trends in Authorised Push Payment (APP) scam types reported each quarter, the types of customers impacted, and warns of emerging scams
- More than £15 million stolen by fraudsters[1] in Q2 with purchase scams accounting for more than half the amount, with building work scams soaring by 22% in the quarter
- Building works moves to the top driver of purchase scams for those aged 35+ as data shows roofing jobs and gardening/landscaping work account for the largest amounts stolen
- Santander warns about latest scam trend involving smishing messages targeting Brits’ digital wallets, as £1.8 million stolen from customers in Q2
Santander UK is today launching its latest ‘Santander Quarterly Scamtracker’, which shows that a total of £15.7million was stolen from customers between April and June 2025. While this marks a 15% decrease in the amount taken by scammers during the previous quarter, the bank has highlighted a new worrying trend of criminals using building works as a ruse to steal customers’ money.
The latest Scamtracker results show that purchase scams continue to account for more than half of all claims received between April and June (57%). Of these, there was a 22% increase in the volume of scams involving building works in Q2 compared to the previous quarter, in what has become the fastest rising tactic used by scammers and the most common driver of purchase scams for customers aged 35+. A significant jump was seen among customers aged 80+, with building works making up more than half (58%) of all purchase scam claims received from that age group, up from just over a third in Q1 2025.
The bank’s data also reveals that criminals are homing in on works linked to roofing, which accounted for more than £200,000 stolen in Q2 2025 alone and gardening/ landscaping, which saw more than £40,000 taken.
Chris Ainsley, Head of Fraud Risk Management at Santander UK said: “While the total amount stolen by scammers has declined over the last quarter, don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security. With longer days and warmer weather, it’s a popular time for us all to think about jobs around our homes and gardens, and criminals are capitalising on this, parting customers with more than £700,000 between April and June alone. Don’t let scammers cast a shadow over your summer and; stay alert to anything that sounds too good to be true.”
One to watch
Alongside building scams, Santander has highlighted it’s “one to watch” with a growing trend of criminals sending smishing messages purporting to be from organisations such as British Gas, DWP or linked to winter fuel payments or penalty charge notices. The messages link to a site that asks customers for their card details and allows criminals to register their card to a new digital wallet. Data from the bank shows that scam claims involving in app digital wallets have increased by more than 70% in Q2, compared to Q1, with more than £1.8 million stolen between April-June 2025.
The tracker will be released by Santander on a quarterly basis to chart the most common ways scammers are targeting customers, as well as emerging trends to be aware of.
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The information contained in our press releases is intended solely for journalists and should not be used by consumers to make financial decisions.
Notes to editors:
- This is the total value of claims received from Santander customers between 1 April and 27 June 2025. This does not account for actual losses to customers or refunds given to customers during this period.
Santander UK is a financial services provider in the UK that offers a wide range of personal and commercial financial products and services. At 31 December 2024, the bank had around 18,000 employees and serves around 14 million active customers, including 7 million digital customers via a nationwide branch network, telephone, mobile and online banking. Santander UK is subject to the full supervision of the FCA and the PRA in the UK. Santander UK plc customers’ eligible deposits are protected by the FSCS in the UK.
Banco Santander (SAN SM, STD US, BNC.LN) is a leading commercial bank, founded in 1857 and headquartered in Spain and one of the largest banks in the world by market capitalization. The group’s activities are consolidated into five global businesses: Retail & Commercial Banking, Digital Consumer Bank, Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB), Wealth Management & Insurance and Payments (PagoNxt and Cards). This operating model allows the bank to better leverage its unique combination of global scale and local leadership. Banco Santander aims to be the best open financial services platform providing services to individuals, SMEs, corporates, financial institutions and governments. The bank’s purpose is to help people and businesses prosper in a simple, personal and fair way.