Purchase scam reports to a free scam-checking service have almost tripled in the past year, according to industry data. The service says purchase scams are the fastest-growing scam in the UK. They work when someone pays upfront for goods or services that don’t exist, or never arrive. In the past 12 months, checks in this category rose by 164%.
Other scams on the rise
Other scams are also on the rise. Reports of impersonation fraud are up 31%. Fake security alerts — pop-ups, emails or texts that try to convince you your device has a virus — are up 62% in the last six months. Reports have also increased for fake messages from delivery companies (up 29%), bogus online casino scams (up 59%), and marketplace scams on sites like Facebook Marketplace and Etsy (up 76%).
Public concern over AI-enhanced scams
The figures come after a poll of 2,000 adults, commissioned by The Co-operative Bank, found two thirds are worried about being scammed. Nearly two thirds (63%) said scams are getting more advanced because of technology. More than half said they’re becoming more common (57%) and harder to spot (55%). Most people (84%) are worried that artificial intelligence is making scams more convincing.
To help customers check suspicious activity, The Co-operative Bank has teamed up with scam-checking service, Ask Silver, to launch its own online scam-checker where users can upload a text message, image or website and receive guidance on whether it could be a scam.
Vishal Majithia, head of economic crime at the bank, said: “The scams we’re seeing today often hide behind perfectly ordinary moments, from shopping online and tracking a parcel to receiving a message that appears to be from an organisation you trust.
“Fraudsters follow where people spend their time and money and quickly adapt their tactics to popular platforms, services and new technology.
“That means anyone can be targeted, so knowing what to look out for and taking a moment to check something before you act can make all the difference.”
Top scam trends and victim data
Ask Silver’s data, which also lists the top 10 scam trends over the past year, shows a rise in scammers pretending to be everyday organisations (up 59%) and government bodies (up 53%). More than four million online scams were recorded in 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics, with more than three million adults reporting they lost money.
People who have been scammed said they lost an average of £2,850. Six in 10 (60%) said the scams they came across were made to look like everyday admin. The poll also found 65% think older people are most likely to be targeted. But ONS data suggests adults aged 25 to 44 are most likely to fall victim — especially to phishing scams, where criminals pose as a trusted organisation to steal personal details or money.
Alex Somervell, CEO and co-founder of Ask Silver, said: "In this digital age where scams are increasingly sophisticated, and fraudsters are highly experienced, we have to empower individuals with tools that keep them safe and allow them to communicate, shop and live with peace of mind.
"This is a deeply personal mission for me as my dad lost almost his entire life savings to scammers, and it had a devastating impact on our family, and trying to help prevent that experience for others inspires us at Ask Silver.
"As AI-enhanced scams accelerate the potential impact of fraud, we are using our AI-powered scam checker to fight back.
"Supporting customers at the point where individuals are parting with their hard-earned cash is where we can make a real difference, and we're delighted to be partnering with The Co-operative Bank in this way because with every scam we stop, it's another person we can keep safe."
Top 10 scam trends of the last 12 months
- General purchase scams (31%): purchase scams that aren’t marketplace scams - these are mainly eCommerce websites
- General impersonation scams (10%): impersonation of everyday organisations (e.g. Tesco, British Gas)
- Tech scams (nine%): mostly antivirus scams (e.g. Norton, McAfee)
- Delivery scams (six%): fake comms from delivery services (e.g. DPD, Evri, DHL)
- Government impersonation scams (four%): e.g. HMRC, DWP, Police
- Casino scams (four%): fake online casinos
- Crypto scams (three%)
- Marketplace scams (three%): online marketplaces (e.g. Facebook Marketplace, Etsy)
- Task scams (three%): fake paid-by-the-hour tasks, usually online
- Windfall scams (three%): scams that promise people large, unexpected sums of money (e.g. lottery win, investment return, fake inheritance)
