More than 20 million adults in the UK have signed up to a subscription without realising, with a staggering 4.7 million still paying for services they never intended to buy. 

National Trading Standards has warned the public about the growing scale of these so-called “silent scams” – schemes that rely on small but repeated payments slipping under the radar. These often take the form of subscription traps, where customers are automatically enrolled in ongoing payments after a single purchase or a free trial. Other scams involve misleading one-off sales where the product is of poor quality or not as advertised. Because the sums involved are usually low, many victims fail to notice or challenge the charges. Louise Baxter, head of the National Trading Standards scams team, said: “Criminals are draining UK bank accounts one small payment at a time. These ‘silent scams’ are stealing millions from UK households every year, often without victims even knowing.”

She continued: “It might be a subscription you never agreed to or a product that wasn’t what it seemed. But these crimes are just as serious and just as damaging.

“We’re urging everyone to check their bank statements regularly and report all scams, no matter the amount. If we stay silent, the criminals win.” 

The research indicates that most people would only consider reporting a scam once losses reach an average of £143, the threshold that criminals are exploiting. 

Almost one in five victims who did not report the fraud said the amount taken was too small to justify contacting authorities. 

More than a third (38%) of people said they have signed up for a subscription without realising it. Of these, nearly a quarter (23%) are still unknowingly paying for these subscriptions.