According to the latest industry research, one in three British people have fallen victim to a criminal scam with millions handing over personal information which has cost them financially.
A survey involving 2,000 UK adults revealed that 30 per cent of participants had been tricked by fraudsters using texts, emails or social media messages pretending to be a legitimate person or company.
Whilst some just clicked on fraudulent links, around one in eight respondents went as far as handing over their details, including bank account information to these criminals.
Of those who handed over their financial details, three quarters (74 per cent) ended up out of pocket financially by around £600 on average.
Overall, 80 per cent of UK adults have received a suspicious scam text, email or social media message.
Collectively, people feel the scams are becoming more convincing than ever before, with two-thirds of respondents fearing that their older relatives could fall for them and a third have already seen their relatives fall victim to the scams.
The most common scams encountered included messages regarding Royal Mail deliveries, winning prizes and random suspicious links.
Bank account notices, expired details and incorrect payment login notifications have also been received.
Rob Hallett, an advisory board member at secure messaging platform LetterBox, which commissioned the poll, said: “It’s clear that scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and catching even the savviest users out, potentially handing over details that could cost them heavily.
“The problem lies in the fact there’s no need to verify yourself, so generally, anyone can contact anyone else freely – meaning those with dishonest motives can creatively contact you in the hope you’ll hand them sensitive data in good faith without a second thought.”
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For help and advice with any aspect of criminal law contact a member of our expert team today on 0115 824 1700 for a discussion on your individual situation.