Emmerdale star Lisa Riley reveals she fell victim to ESTA scam when travelling to US: What is it and how can you avoid it?

Actress and broadcaster Lisa Riley has revealed that she has previously been tricked into providing personal data by scammers. 

Lisa is best known for her iconic TV soap role as Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale, having joined the Dales in 1995. 

She says she was targeted by scammers when obtaining a visa waiver for travel to the United States, and is now more vulnerable to becoming a victim of fraud. 

Lisa now wants to tell others about the warning signs and told This is Money what happened to her. 

How does the ESTA scam work? 

Most UK travellers going to the US must fill out an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) form in advance, even if only passing through the US. 

ESTA applications have a $40.27 per person fee attached to them. The fee increased  from $21 on September 30, 2025. 

To complete form you need to access the official US Department of Homeland Security’s website or use its app. 

But unfortunately, fake websites purporting to be the US Department of Homeland Security, or offering to process ESTA forms, operate. 

Warning: Lisa Riley has been targeted twice by scammers using the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation scam... and now wants to help others avoid it

The aim is to get unwitting travellers to enter all their personal details, which the fraudsters can then use to try and extract cash from them.  

In the past, Lisa has given her details to these fake ESTA sites operated by criminals. 

Lisa told This is Money: 'I was scammed two years ago. I spend a lot of time outside of the UK and was getting an ESTA permit.'

The actress used a false website operated by criminals to apply for the ESTA. She realised she had been scammed after getting a delayed automated email response.

She told This is Money: 'The email reply normally takes under an hour and it was over 24 hours later. When it landed the email didn’t feel right, the email address was just a bundle of letters not an official email.'

Lisa added: 'Being scammed is sadly something I have experienced. I provided personal information to what I believed was a genuine travel permit website. I'd completed the process many times before, so there was nothing that immediately raised alarm bells.

'That's what frightened me most. The website looked completely legitimate and I genuinely believed I was doing the right thing.'

She added: 'What that experience taught me is that criminals are incredibly clever and convincing. Once fraudsters have your personal information, it can be used in all sorts of ways and that's a frightening thought.

'It's made me much more cautious about any unexpected contact, whether that's online, by text, email or over the phone. I can absolutely see how people could be persuaded by someone claiming to be from their bank if they appear to know information about them.

'It has had a real impact on me and changed the way I behave online. I think people sometimes believe scams only happen to other people, but they can happen to anyone.'

According to Nationwide Building Society, as Lisa's data was taken while she was scammed, she is now more vulnerable to bank impersonation scams. 

This is where fraudsters call someone pretending to be their bank, and persuade them to transfer money. They often claim their account has been compromised and they need to move money to a 'safe' account. 

Armed with all someone's personal and financial details, a scammer would be more convincing.  

Britons exposed to scams almost daily

Lisa's experiences are sadly far from unique. 

New research from Nationwide this week found that people in the UK are exposed to potential scams almost daily, receiving suspicious phone calls more than three times a week on average and suspicious text messages around twice a week. 

Nationwide said the average impersonation loss was nearly £2,200. 

One in five Britons said they had provided personal information to someone before realising they were not genuine, Nationwide said. 

Nearly one in five people surveyed said they would be likely to call back an unknown number, potentially putting themselves at risk. 

When asked what would make them trust an unexpected caller claiming to be from their banking provider, 20 per cent said seeing their banking provider’s name displayed on their phone would help. 

Nineteen per cent said the caller knowing some recent account activity would make them think the caller was genuine. 

Fourteen per cent said the caller knowing their full name would make them trust an unexpected caller purporting to be their bank. 

Worryingly, 10 per cent of people said they would be convinced by a caller who 'sounded professional'. 

According to Nationwide, during the past year, more than a quarter of consumers received a text message claiming to be from their banking provider, while 25 per cent received an email and 22 per cent received a phone call.

Only 26 per cent said they sometimes or rarely checked a number before responding to a text or call. A further seven per cent said they never checked. 

Annya Burskys, head of fraud operations at Nationwide, said: 'Scammers are increasingly sophisticated at making unexpected calls, texts and emails appear genuine. They may disguise a call as coming from a trusted organisation, use personal details to gain your trust or pressure you to act quickly.

'Many scams are connected. Criminals may first obtain information about you through a fraudulent website, phishing email or text message. They can then use those details to make future impersonation scams appear much more convincing.

'They may also tell you what to say if your banking provider questions a payment, claiming it will speed things up. In reality, the more your banking provider knows, the better it can support and protect you.'

Red flags to watch out for 

- Financial providers will never ask you to move your money. There is no such thing as a safe account.

-Financial providers will never tell you what to say to your bank or to misrepresent payments, even if they claim it will make it quicker or easier.

- Banks will never ask you to share a one-time passcode.

- Financial providers will never ask you to download an app or share access to your computer or app.

- Financial providers will never put you under pressure to act fast. Nationwide said: 'If anything doesn’t feel right, you can end the call and contact your bank using the number on your bank card, through your app or website, or by dialling 159. 

'Take time to stop and think before making a payment or sharing information.'