The BBC has launched its 2025 Scam Safe Week coverage. Scam Safe week brings together content from across the BBC including TV, radio, iPlayer, Sounds and online – to help the public stay informed in the fight against scams.
The broadcaster is covering issues throughout the week across breakfast TV, on programmes such as Countryfile, Morning Live, the One Show, and even on children’s channels.
The long running children’s news programme, Newsround, is reporting on a Roblox scam, Gamers on Roblox’s Grow A Garden are being scammed out of rare pets like the Golden Goose and Red Panda
Countryfile includes an investigation by Tom Heap into the scammers who impersonate food businesses – ranging from supermarkets to small farms – and then use their identities to make big orders from other farmers and food producers. The goods disappear on delivery, and the suppliers never get paid.
The Scam Interceptors programme features light entertainment celebrity Amanda Holden and reveals how scammers used her name and image to con victims out of thousands. Amanda even speaks to her scammer while on air.
Even EastEnders is getting involved, The prime time drama features a storyline on healthcare scams which will see Lauren duped out of money by fraudsters with a fake treatment plan for her son Jimmy.
All BBC radio stations are also involved.
How big is the problem?
- Fraud losses totalled £1.2bn in 2024, according to new research by UK Finance, with a rise in cases of remote purchase scams a large part of the problem.
- One in five UK consumers have been scammed, and 61% encounter scams at least once a month.
- 53% of victims feel a strong emotional response to being scammed.
- A large number of scams go unreported, with 71% of victims not reporting the crime to the authorities, often due to shame or a feeling that their complaint won’t be dealt with effectively.
- Two-thirds of scams start online.
