NatWest has today revealed the most common scams impacting Londoners this summer, with new borough level insight showing how criminals are targeting everyday activities, from buying concert tickets to booking driving lessons.
The findings form part of NatWest’s Scam Safe Summer campaign, highlighting how fraudsters are adapting their tactics to seasonal trends, while providing a series of Financial Foundations workshops across London to give customers the skills needed to stay vigilant.
While investment and crypto scams account for nearly half (48%) of all money lost in London, it is everyday purchase scams that are catching the highest number of victims, accounting for 69% of all reported cases.
Nationally, these types of Scams have gone up by 20% in value year on year, according to the latest UK Finance Fraud Report 2026, published this week.
Many of these originate from listings or adverts on social media platforms and online marketplaces, where criminals can quickly set up convincing profiles and target large audiences.
With millions of Londoners planning holidays, attending live events and making major purchases, summer presents a prime opportunity for fraudsters.
NatWest’s analysis reveals that the scams Londoners are most at risk from vary depending on where they live. A full list, via borough and age is below:
- Driving lesson and test scams are most common in boroughs including Croydon, Ealing and Waltham Forest
- Concert and festival ticket scams dominate in Barnet and Lewisham
- Online shopping scams, including clothing and everyday items, are widespread in areas such as Barking & Dagenham and Southwark
Ticket scams have increased significantly in recent years with fraudsters becoming more sophisticated in their approach. Often, these scams create a sense of urgency, pushing victims to make quick payments before they can verify whether an offer is genuine. These listings are frequently promoted or shared through social media platforms, making it harder for consumers to distinguish between legitimate sellers and fraudulent accounts.
The Financial Foundations workshops will focus on real life scam scenarios, from fake ticket listings to impersonation scams, as well as simple steps customers can make to verify payments and sellers, while building confidence to pause and question suspicious activity. They will include interactive exercises, such as spotting red flags in real online adverts, practising how to safely check a seller’s legitimacy, and guidance on what to do if something goes wrong. Attendees will also be able to ask questions and work through realistic scam examples in a supportive, practical environment.
There will be three types of sessions, running across the week, each aimed at businesses, customers and youth groups through one of the banks' flagship NatWest Thrive Live events, which helps young people to learn about finance.
Catherine van Weenan, London and South East Regional Board Chair at NatWest, said:
“Scams aren’t just becoming more sophisticated, they’re becoming more localised. From fake concert tickets to fraudulent driving lessons, criminals are targeting the things people are doing every day across London.
“As a bank, we play a critical role in educating and empowering our customers with the confidence to spot scams before the money is gone. That’s why we’re bringing our Financial Foundations workshops directly to communities across the capital giving people practical, real life skills they can use immediately.
“Whether it’s sticking to trusted sellers, avoiding bank transfers when something doesn’t feel right, or simply taking a moment to pause before making a payment, these small actions can make a huge difference. Our goal is to help Londoners feel confident, informed and in control when it comes to their money this summer.”
Lord Hanson, Minister for Fraud, said:
“Fraudsters will try to exploit our excitement for summer events. Whether it’s the World Cup, a big gig or a deserved holiday, these criminals will try to make money and inflict misery. I urge everyone to Stop! Think Fraud to protect themselves and those close to you.
“The government is investing £250 million as part of our new Fraud Strategy to crackdown on this crime. We will continue to work with industry and use every tool at our disposal to disrupt criminal operations, bring fraudsters to justice and strengthen support for victims."
Key London scam insights
- Investment scams account for nearly half (48%) of all money lost, making them the biggest financial threat.
- Young adults (18–45) are most likely to fall victim to purchase scams, accounting for over half (57%) of losses in this category.
- Meanwhile, over-55s are hardest hit by investment scams, making up 71% of total losses.
- Some boroughs are seeing particularly high losses, with Wandsworth and Greenwich.
- Croydon has the highest number of reported scams of any London borough.
- The data is based on NatWest analysis of scam trends across London boroughs between April 2025 and April 2026.
From driving test scams in outer boroughs to ticket fraud in central London, the risks change depending on where you live and how old you are. The following are the items or services most commonly found to be used as part of a scam, broken down by their popularity in each area:
Borough
|
Overall (all ages)
|
Under 35s
|
Ages 35–65
|
|---|
Barking & Dagenham
|
Clothing / Driving tests
|
Clothing
|
Building work / Holiday
|
Barnet
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Bexley
|
Concert tickets
|
Clothing
|
Concert tickets
|
Brent
|
Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Holiday
|
Bromley
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Camden
|
Clothing / Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Concerts / Mobile phones
|
City of London
|
Concert tickets
|
—
|
Concert tickets
|
Croydon
|
Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Building work
|
Ealing
|
Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Concert tickets
|
Enfield
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Greenwich
|
Concert tickets
|
Driving tests
|
Concert tickets
|
Hackney
|
Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Football tickets
|
Hammersmith & Fulham
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Haringey
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Building work
|
Harrow
|
Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Building work / Car scams
|
Havering
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Building work
|
Hillingdon
|
Concert tickets
|
Driving tests
|
Car scams
|
Hounslow
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Car scams
|
Islington
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Kensington & Chelsea
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Concerts / Mixed scams
|
Kingston upon Thames
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Lambeth
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Holiday
|
Lewisham
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Furniture
|
Merton
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Building work / Concerts
|
Newham
|
Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Holiday
|
Redbridge
|
Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Holiday / Furniture
|
Richmond upon Thames
|
Driving tests
|
Other tickets
|
Driving tests
|
Southwark
|
Clothing
|
Clothing
|
Holiday
|
Sutton
|
Driving tests / Concerts
|
Concert tickets
|
Driving tests
|
Tower Hamlets
|
Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Concerts / Driving tests
|
Waltham Forest
|
Driving tests
|
Driving tests
|
Concert tickets
|
Wandsworth
|
Concert tickets
|
Concert tickets
|
Holiday
|
Westminster
|
Concert tickets
|
Clothing
|
Concert tickets
|
