Lloyds Bank has issued a warning to customers ahead of the long weekend with fears that scammers will take advantage of the short break to try and fleece innocent Brits out of their hard-earned cash.
The bank is urging people not to fall for “too good to be true” offers on DIY, household and beauty items, with many seeing payments of up to £40 taken from their accounts on a regular basis.
Lloyds said social media scammers have been posing as well-known brands using fake social media adverts to lure in unsuspecting shoppers with adverts apparently featuring limited offers from retailers such as Screwfix, Amazon, and Elemis.
The adverts claim the offer is about to run out and users are then encourage t enter a “draw” – or simply pay a small amount for postage only.
The product never arrives, but fraudsters will then use card details to sign shoppers up for monthly card payments, known as as “continuous payment authority”.
Lloyds said that people often only become aware they have been scammed down the line, when they notice unusual payments of around £30 or £40 every two to four weeks on their statements.
The bank received 1,400 chargeback requests from credit card customers who spotted unusual transactions between January 1 and April 24, 2025, alone.
Gavin Evans, senior fraud manager at Lloyds said: “These scammers are pretending to be trusted, legitimate retailers to make people think they’re getting a great deal, but there are some clear warning signs to look out for when these ads pop up on social media.”
Mr Evans said that in many cases, card protections will apply – which means your bank can reverse the charge back to the scammer.
He said that adverts with a “time limited angle” are also a red flag as “legitimate retailers will not pressure you into making purchases”.
“These scammers are pretending to be trusted, legitimate retailers, to make people think they’re getting a great deal, but there are some clear warning signs people can look out for, when these ads pop up on social media. The biggest one is the offer is always too good to be true, with expensive goods apparently available at incredibly low prices, with no sign of the deal on the merchant’s website.”
