Lloyds bosses want people to ‘watch out’
Lloyds Bank has issued a £436 alert to millions of people after some have had money taken from their accounts. The UK banking giant has tens of millions of customers across the UK.
In a new alert issued this week, Lloyds is warning people to “watch out”, as people have been conned out of their hard-earned cash. Research from Lloyds shows that fraudsters are “selling” items to people on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram – but said items simply don’t exist.
This is known as a purchase scam, and according to Lloyds the most common of these in 2025 were vehicles or vehicle accessories, and ticket scams. Liz Ziegler, Fraud Prevention Director at Lloyds, said: “We saw a surge in ticket scam reports this year, as demand for events like Glastonbury, the Oasis tour and major football fixtures were sky-high, leading people to seek out hard-to-secure tickets where they could. Scammers then struck through dodgy social media posts, fake websites, and online marketplaces.”
Research from Lloyds earlier this year found over 90% of Oasis ticket scams originated on a Meta-owned platform such as Facebook or Instagram. People who fell victim to such scams had some £436 taken from their accounts, on average, Lloyds said.
The biggest amount lost in a single case was more than £1,700. In percentage terms, Lloyds said driving lessons and test scams saw the biggest rise in fraud reports.
Ms Ziegler continued: “We alerted people to driving lesson and test scams earlier this year, when we started to see reports climb. With high demand for lessons and long waits for tests, people became more vulnerable to falling for fake posts on social media.
“Always use a reputable instructor and be wary of adverts on social media that are suspiciously cheap, or pressure selling with time limited offers.”
On scams to watch out for in 2026, she added: “I’m still telling everyone to watch out for ticket scams. As one of the top things we get fraud reports about, and with major events like the FIFA World Cup and gigs from Calvin Harris and Robbie Williams coming up, scammers will be out in force.
“Buying from authorised platforms is the only way to guarantee a genuine ticket, and if you’re approached on social media or asked to pay by bank transfer, it’s very likely to be a scam.
“I also want people to be careful when looking for help online with official documents, like visas, or passport applications. Anything offering to ‘guarantee’ documents in return for a payment, is a scam.
“Always visit official government websites for help with important documents and never follow links in unexpected emails or texts. My message remains that social media is where people are at greatest risk, as these platforms are infested with fraudsters and scam content.”
