Hot tub crime machine: Purchase scams involving plug-in pools up 400% as crooks take advantage of sunshine loving Britons
- Hot tub sales have surged since the lockdown as Britons splash out on luxuries
- NatWest said purchase scams went up five-fold between April and May
- Hot tubs involved in third-most purchase scams after Nintendo Switch and pets
- Nearly £7.1m has been lost in scams related to the coronavirus since lockdown
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A month of record sunshine in May helped boost the country’s mood despite the coronavirus lockdown, but it also proved fertile ground for scammers.
The number of people caught out in purchase scams when trying to buy hot tubs increased five-fold in May compared to the month before, according to NatWest.
The bank found the plug-in pools were the item involved in the third-most purchase scams last month, after Nintendo Switch games consoles and pets.
What you see isn’t what you get: Britons found themselves in deep water when trying to purchase hot tubs to make the most of the sweltering sunshine last month, with scams rising
All three are likely to be in high demand among Britons looking for entertainment or for something to keep them occupied during the lockdown, but this also creates opportunities for fraudsters to target online shoppers.
While NatWest declined to share the numbers on exactly how many scams took place, it said the scams tend to follow the same pattern, with victims paying for hot tubs which then never arrived.
These could be purchases made through websites like eBay or Gumtree, it said, where it turned out the listings or adverts were actually fake, or ones made after one-to-one email conversations, often involving bank transfers made directly to the fraudulent seller.
NatWest’s head of fraud prevention Jason Costain said: ‘Customers should try where possible to use a credit or debit card when making a purchase online, purchase from a trusted seller, follow the security advice on the website and avoid making payments directly to an unknown seller.
‘It is also worth remembering that if a deal appears too good to be true, it probably is.’
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This is Money previously reported that the combination of spring sunshine and lockdown saw a surge in interest for hot tubs, with sales on eBay increasing 276 per cent between 22 March and 6 June, including a 1,080 per cent surge during the third week of lockdown beginning on 5 April.
They have proven so popular, despite their often considerable price tag, that one provider of inflatable hot tubs, Lay-z Spas, has paused all orders on its website ‘due to high demand’. It says it will have more stock available throughout June and July.
One provider of inflatable hot tubs, Lay-z Spas, has paused all new orders on its website until it receives new stock
Other reputable sellers, such as Jason Smith, sales director of Birmingham-based hot tub manufacturer Roto Spa, told This is Money he was selling five times as many as normal after an increase in demand.
He said: ‘We can’t supply now until September as we have sold everything we have got in stock and all further production slots are filled despite doubling our production output.’
Anita Burton, the owner of Norfolk Spa and Leisure, which sells and hires out hot tubs, said she had seen an increase of people looking to hire out hot tubs for birthdays as cold water had been poured on any other plans they may have had.
Anita and Robert Burton, of Norfolk Spa and Leisure, told This is Money they had seen a spike in orders
She had also seen a greater demand for the pools.
She said: ‘At the start of lockdown, we were selling two a day. Now we have around 45 on order but people won’t be able to get anything until September at the earliest due to the high number of orders.
‘People are happy to wait though as they have more disposable income.’
The news from NatWest comes as the public are urged to keep an eye out as more and more money is lost to scams related to the virus.
As of last Friday, 2,378 victims have lost almost £7.1million to coronavirus-related fraud, according to the UK’s fraud reporting service Action Fraud, an average loss of £2,985.70 per person.
Meanwhile, research from Citizens Advice found 36 per cent adults had been targeted in a scam since the start of lockdown.
The charity’s chief executive Dame Gillian Guy said: ‘We’ve seen thousands of people coming to our website for advice on scams during the coronavirus outbreak as opportunistic scammers take advantage of the public’s concerns.
‘Worryingly one in three of us has been targeted by a scam since lockdown began. This shows it’s really important we all do our bit and report them when we see them.’