Overview
- Santander UK says its customers lost nearly £160,000 to pet-purchase authorised push payment scams in the first quarter of 2026, where victims are tricked into sending money to a fraudster’s account.
- Losses jumped from £29,735 in late 2025, and pet sales became the second-largest purchase-scam loss category after vehicle fraud.
- The bank reports more than £3.4 million stolen across all purchase scams in Q1 2026, based on its internal scamtracker.
- Bank data shows women and people aged 46 and over were targeted more often by these pet-sale schemes.
- Santander urges buyers to watch for demands for deposits, delivery fees or vet costs and to run checks like reverse-image searches, in-person viewings and avoiding large upfront payments.