Throughout June and July 2026, Trading Standards Scotland ran their fifth Big Scottish Scam Survey, asking Scots about the scams they had experienced in the past year.
For the second year in a row, energy scams were the most commonly experienced scams. 42% of respondents had received cold calls, letters, emails or seen online adverts providing misleading information about the availability of government grants and funding for products such as insulation, boilers, double glazing and heat pumps.
Other key insights include:
- For the first time, respondents were asked if they had experienced recruitment scams or AI scams. 10% had experienced recruitment scams and 8% had experienced AI scams.
- 70% of respondents had experienced more than one type of scam. 6% had experienced over ten types of scam.
- 13% of respondents had lost money to a scam in the past year, which is an increase on previous years.
- 74% of respondants were over 55, with only 3% in the 18-34 age bracket.
The most common types of scam in 2026 are:
- Energy Scams
- Delivery Scams
- Bank Scams
- Online Shopping Scams
- Amazon Scams
- Prize Draw/Survey Scams
- HMRC Scams
- WhatsApp Scams
- Broadband Scams
- Investment/Loan Scams
Click here to read the full report.
