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Vehicle scams have soared by 74% in the UK in the first half of the year, with victims losing almost £1,000 on average, research suggests.

Victims, often responding to bogus online advertisements, are being duped into paying deposits to “secure” a vehicle in the face of what sellers say is stiff competition, according to a study by Lloyds Bank.

One of the nation’s favourite cars, the Ford Fiesta, is the most popular vehicle to be used in scams, the bank said, but BMWs and Audis also feature heavily among the fake ads, with motorbikes and classic cars also cropping up regularly.

Vans are also popular and there is a thriving trade in fake ads for parts and accessories, such as alloy wheels.

People aged between 25 and 34 are those most likely to be stung.

More than two thirds (68%) of all car and van scams analysed were advertised on Meta platforms, Facebook (including Facebook Marketplace) and Instagram, while 15% of vehicle scams began on eBay.

Fraudsters often include pictures of real cars or vans to convince the unsuspecting buyer that they are genuine.

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When someone responds, they will often be asked to make a deposit to “secure” the car, or even sometimes to pay the full amount, while the scammer makes excuses to explain why the car cannot be physically viewed beforehand.

Pressure-selling tactics, such as telling the buyer the car is very popular, that they have several other offers, or that the payment must be made by a certain deadline, are frequently employed.

Victims may be tricked into sending money via bank transfer and as soon as a payment is made, the buyer will be blocked and the seller’s profile will disappear.

Occasionally, a fake address will be provided at which to collect the car, leaving buyers with a wasted trip alongside the financial loss.

Luke’s story – a fake Fiesta from Philip

Luke (name changed) was searching for a new car on Facebook Marketplace when he saw an advert for a two-year old Ford Fiesta for £5,400.

While it didn’t appear to be local to where he lived, he contacted the seller, who called himself Philip.

Philip said the vehicle was still available but there was lots of interest from other prospective buyers, as it was a really good price and the vehicle was in great condition, implying Luke would have to move quickly.

On requesting more photos of the inside and outside of the car, Luke received the images, but thought they looked slightly different to the vehicle being advertised.

However he checked the car registration on the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) website, which confirmed it was taxed and had an MOT valid until May 2024.

When Luke asked to meet Philip in person to see the car, Philip refused, claiming he lived too far away and that he used a shipping company to deliver the vehicles he sold. However he said Luke could pay a deposit and then transfer the remaining balance after he had received the vehicle.

Luke still felt unsure about this, so to allay his concerns, Philip provided some personal details (including a copy of his passport) in an attempt to prove he was legitimate.

On agreeing to continue with the purchase, Luke was sent bank account details to make the initial payment. The account details were under the name of a different individual, who Philip claimed was his ‘Customer Support Manager’.

When Luke sent £540 as a 10% deposit on the total purchase price of the car, he received an email from Philip to say that the payment had gone through, and he would now arrange delivery.

Luke didn’t receive the vehicle. Philip’s profile disappeared from Facebook, and any attempts to contact him via email have gone unanswered.

Ford Fiestas have been highly popular in the genuine sales market, possibly because the manufacturer recently stopped making them.

Liz Ziegler, Fraud Prevention Director at Lloyds Bank called the rapid growth in reports of people being scammed when shopping for vehicles on social media “alarming”.

She said: “The vast majority of these scams start on Facebook, where it’s far too easy for criminals to set up fake profiles and advertise items that simply don’t exist.

“It’s time social media companies were held accountable for their lax approach to protecting consumers, given the vast majority of fraud starts on their platforms.

“Buying directly from approved dealers is the best way to guarantee you’re paying for a genuine vehicle, and always use your debit or credit card for maximum safety.

“If you do want to buy something you’ve found through social media, only transfer funds once the car is in your possession.”

Sky News has contacted Meta and eBay for comment.

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Lloyds Banking Group in talks to buy digital wallet provider Curve

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Lloyds Banking Group in talks to buy digital wallet provider Curve

Britain’s biggest high street bank is in talks to buy Curve, the digital wallet provider, amid growing regulatory pressure on Apple to open its payment services to rivals.

Sky News has learnt that Lloyds Banking Group is in advanced discussions to acquire Curve for a price believed to be up to £120m.

City sources said this weekend that if the negotiations were successfully concluded, a deal could be announced by the end of September.

Curve was founded by Shachar Bialick, a former Israeli special forces soldier, in 2016.

Three years later, he told an interviewer: “In 10 years time we are going to be IPOed [listed on the public equity markets]… and hopefully worth around $50bn to $60bn.”

One insider said this weekend that Curve was being advised by KBW, part of the investment bank Stifel, on the discussions with Lloyds.

If a mooted price range of £100m-£120m turns out to be accurate, that would represent a lower valuation than the £133m Curve raised in its Series C funding round, which concluded in 2023.

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That round included backing from Britannia, IDC Ventures, Cercano Management – the venture arm of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s estate – and Outward VC.

It was also reported to have raised more than £40m last year, while reducing employee numbers and suspending its US expansion.

In total, the company has raised more than £200m in equity since it was founded.

Curve has been positioned as a rival to Apple Pay in recent years, having initially launched as an app enabling consumers to combine their debit and credit cards in a single wallet.

One source close to the prospective deal said that Lloyds had identified Curve as a strategically attractive bid target as it pushes deeper into payments infrastructure under chief executive Charlie Nunn.

Lloyds is also said to believe that Curve would be a financially rational asset to own because of the fees Apple charges consumers to use its Apple Pay service.

In March, the Financial Conduct Authority and Payment Systems Regulator began working with the Competition and Markets Authority to examine the implications of the growth of digital wallets owned by Apple and Google.

Lloyds owns stakes in a number of fintechs, including the banking-as-a-service platform ThoughtMachine, but has set expanding its tech capabilities as a key strategic objective.

The group employs more than 70,000 people and operates more than 750 branches across Britain.

Curve is chaired by Lord Fink, the former Man Group chief executive who has become a prolific investor in British technology start-ups.

When he was appointed to the role in January, he said: “Working alongside Curve as an investor, I have had a ringside seat to the company’s unassailable and well-earned rise.

“Beginning as a card which combines all your cards into one, to the all-encompassing digital wallet it has evolved into, Curve offers a transformative financial management experience to its users.

“I am proud to have been part of the journey so far, and welcome the chance to support the company through its next, very significant period of growth.”

IDC Ventures, one of the investors in Curve’s Series C funding round, said at the time of its last major fundraising: “Thanks to their unique technology…they have the capability to intercept the transaction and supercharge the customer experience, with its Double Dip Rewards, [and] eliminating nasty hidden fees.

“And they do it seamlessly, without any need for the customer to change the cards they pay with.”

News of the talks between Lloyds and Curve comes days before Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is expected to outline plans to bolster Britain’s fintech sector by endorsing a concierge service to match start-ups with investors.

Lord Fink declined to comment when contacted by Sky News on Saturday morning, while Curve did not respond to an enquiry sent by email.

Lloyds also declined to comment, while Stifel KBW could not be reached for comment.

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UK economy figures not as bad as they look despite GDP fall, analysts say

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UK economy figures not as bad as they look despite GDP fall, analysts say

The UK economy unexpectedly shrank in May, even after the worst of Donald Trump’s tariffs were paused, official figures showed.

A standard measure of economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP), contracted 0.1% in May, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Rather than a fall being anticipated, growth of 0.1% was forecast by economists polled by Reuters as big falls in production and construction were seen.

It followed a 0.3% contraction in April, when Mr Trump announced his country-specific tariffs and sparked a global trade war.

A 90-day pause on these import taxes, which has been extended, allowed more normality to resume.

This was borne out by other figures released by the ONS on Friday.

Exports to the United States rose £300m but “remained relatively low” following a “substantial decrease” in April, the data said.

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Overall, there was a “large rise in goods imports and a fall in goods exports”.

A ‘disappointing’ but mixed picture

It’s “disappointing” news, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said. She and the government as a whole have repeatedly said growing the economy was their number one priority.

“I am determined to kickstart economic growth and deliver on that promise”, she added.

But the picture was not all bad.

Growth recorded in March was revised upwards, further indicating that companies invested to prepare for tariffs. Rather than GDP of 0.2%, the ONS said on Friday the figure was actually 0.4%.

It showed businesses moved forward activity to be ready for the extra taxes. Businesses were hit with higher employer national insurance contributions in April.

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The expansion in March means the economy still grew when the three months are looked at together.

While an interest rate cut in August had already been expected, investors upped their bets of a 0.25 percentage point fall in the Bank of England’s base interest rate.

Such a cut would bring down the rate to 4% and make borrowing cheaper.

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Is Britain going bankrupt?

Analysts from economic research firm Pantheon Macro said the data was not as bad as it looked.

“The size of the manufacturing drop looks erratic to us and should partly unwind… There are signs that GDP growth can rebound in June”, said Pantheon’s chief UK economist, Rob Wood.

Why did the economy shrink?

The drops in manufacturing came mostly due to slowed car-making, less oil and gas extraction and the pharmaceutical industry.

The fall was not larger because the services industry – the largest part of the economy – expanded, with law firms and computer programmers having a good month.

It made up for a “very weak” month for retailers, the ONS said.

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UK economy remains fragile – and there are risks and traps lurking around the corner

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UK economy remains fragile - and there are risks and traps lurking around the corner

Monthly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures are volatile and, on their own, don’t tell us much.

However, the picture emerging a year since the election of the Labour government is not hugely comforting.

This is a government that promised to turbocharge economic growth, the key to improving livelihoods and the public finances. Instead, the economy is mainly flatlining.

Output shrank in May by 0.1%. That followed a 0.3% drop in April.

Ministers were celebrating a few months ago as data showed the economy grew by 0.7% in the first quarter.

Hangover from artificial growth

However, the subsequent data has shown us that much of that growth was artificial, with businesses racing to get orders out of the door to beat the possible introduction of tariffs. Property transactions were also brought forward to beat stamp duty changes.

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Read more:
Trump to hit Canada with 35% tariff
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In April, we experienced the hangover as orders and industrial output dropped. Services also struggled as demand for legal and conveyancing services dropped after the stamp duty changes.

Many of those distortions have now been smoothed out, but the manufacturing sector still struggled in May.

Signs of recovery

Manufacturing output fell by 1% in May, but more up-to-date data suggests the sector is recovering.

“We expect both cars and pharma output to improve as the UK-US trade deal comes into force and the volatility unwinds,” economists at Pantheon Macroeconomics said.

Meanwhile, the services sector eked out growth of 0.1%.

A 2.7% month-to-month fall in retail sales suppressed growth in the sector, but that should improve with hot weather likely to boost demand at restaurants and pubs.

Struggles ahead

It is unlikely, however, to massively shift the dial for the economy, the kind of shift the Labour government has promised and needs in order to give it some breathing room against its fiscal rules.

The economy remains fragile, and there are risks and traps lurking around the corner.

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Is Britain going bankrupt?

Concerns that the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is considering tax hikes could weigh on consumer confidence, at a time when businesses are already scaling back hiring because of national insurance tax hikes.

Inflation is also expected to climb in the second half of the year, further weighing on consumers and businesses.

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