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UK consumers are being warned to stay vigilant as scam messages are expected to triple during the festive period, fuelled by a £28 billion surge in online spending.
According to new analysis from mobile experts at Uswitch, the “Golden Quarter”, the period from November to January, is seeing a 300% spike in fraudulent messages. With 85% of Britons now shopping online, scammers are increasingly exploiting the high volume of deliveries and digital transactions characteristic of the holiday season.
A Surge in Search for Scams
The scale of the threat is reflected in consumer anxiety; search queries for “online tracking scams,” “Christmas giveaway texts,” and “brand-associated scam texts” have surged by 5,000% this month alone.
Data from the first half of 2025 reveals that UK mobiles were hit by approximately 37,660 unsolicited scam and spam calls. Retail-related scams have become the sixth most common type of nuisance contact, accounting for 1,869 reports in six months – more than double the number of insurance-related reports.
The Most Common Nuisance Calls in 2025
While retail scams are a major festive threat, they are part of a broader landscape of unsolicited contact.
| Rank | Topic | Occurrences (Jan – June 2025) | % of Nuisance Calls |
| 1 | Adult content | 5,242 | 13.9% |
| 2 | Energy saving / Home improvements | 3,488 | 9.3% |
| 3 | Recruitment | 2,628 | 7.0% |
| 4 | Banking | 2,141 | 5.7% |
| 5 | Broadband and Telecoms | 2,006 | 5.3% |
| 6 | Retail | 1,869 | 5.0% |
Source: Uswitch analysis of 2025 unsolicited contact reports
Regional Hotspots
Geographically, London remains the primary target for fraudsters. Phone numbers with the 020 area code are 184% more likely to be at risk than those in Manchester. London recorded a staggering 217 million spam phone number lookups, followed by Manchester and Birmingham.
| Rank | City | Area Code | Total Phone Lookups | % of Total |
| 1 | London | 020 | 217,689,977 | 26.21% |
| 2 | Manchester | 161 | 76,604,224 | 9.22% |
| 3 | Birmingham | 121 | 28,062,454 | 3.38% |
Source: Uswitch Cold Call Hotspots
The Rise of AI and Purchase Scams
Scammers are also employing more sophisticated methods. Purchase scams have accounted for 71% of all claims this year, with the average value of these claims rising by £250 year-on-year. Furthermore, the use of AI has enabled “deepfake” calls, where fraudsters mimic the voices of family members or colleagues to request urgent financial help.
5 Tips to Stay Safe
Archie Burkinshaw, a mobiles expert at Uswitch, recommends several steps to protect your data and finances this Christmas:
Two-Step Verification: Enable 2FA on all important accounts to add a layer of security that requires a one-time code.
Verify the Seller: Never tap on links in unsolicited messages. Visit official websites directly and check customer reviews before buying.
Challenge Unusual Calls: If a call from a “relative” feels rushed or asks for money, hang up and call them back on a saved number.
Block and Filter: Use built-in smartphone features or apps like TrueCaller to silence unknown numbers.
Report Spam: Forward suspicious texts to 7726 to alert the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
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Chris Price
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