Victims of impersonation scams are losing more money on average, even though the overall number of cases has fallen, according to new figures from Lloyds Banking Group.
The average loss to an impersonation scam rose by 10 per cent in a year, reaching £3,516 between July 2025 and June 2026, compared with £3,200 in the previous 12 months.
While the total number of impersonation scams reported to Lloyds fell by three per cent, the bank recorded increases in certain fraud types where criminals pose as banks, police officers, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and broadband or mobile providers.
Woman loses £188,000 in police impersonation scam
Some victims have lost significantly larger sums. An 85-year-old woman was conned out of £188,000 by someone pretending to be an undercover police officer.
Lloyds said the woman was persuaded to make eight purchases of gold over a five-month period. The gold was then collected by someone she believed was an undercover police officer involved in an investigation.
Police and bank impersonation scams often involve victims being told their money is at risk and needs to be moved urgently to a so-called "safe account". Fraudsters may claim the victim's own bank is involved in criminal activity and coach them to lie if genuine bank staff question why they are moving the money.
HMRC and provider scams
Scammers posing as HMRC may contact people about supposed tax refunds and encourage them to click a link before entering personal or financial information. Lloyds said victims of HMRC impersonation scams lost £2,288 on average during the past year.
Fraudsters are also impersonating broadband and mobile phone providers, typically claiming there is a problem with someone's bill, contract or internet connection before requesting personal information or payment. Victims of these scams lost £1,169 on average, according to the bank.
Bank advice on avoiding scams
Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds, said scammers deliberately create a sense of urgency to persuade people to act without stopping to consider whether the approach is genuine.
She said: "A scam message is designed to rush you. It will make you feel you need to act straight away or keep things secret."
Ms Ziegler said anyone unsure about a call claiming to come from their bank, the police or another organisation should hang up and contact the organisation themselves using a trusted telephone number. She added that fraudsters know people may be particularly focused on their finances during expensive periods and use convincing stories involving account problems, refunds or urgent payments to put victims under pressure.
The figures are based on impersonation scams reported by Lloyds Banking Group customers between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026, compared with the previous 12-month period.
