Almost 1 in 5 Brits feel more targeted by scammers at Christmas time!

Unlucky Brits have been left feeling embarrassed (52%), and blaming themselves (57%) – after falling victim to a scam, research has found.

Phishing (37%) and impersonation scams (21%) are the most prolific types, while other frauds that have risen in popularity over the past 12 months include get-rich-quick schemes, crypto refund swindles, and romance scams.

Phishing sees victims targeted by fake calls, emails, or messages, from a seemingly legitimate source, asking for personal or financial information. And impersonation scams involve fraudsters posing as a trusted organisation, such as HMRC, for the same purpose.

Meanwhile, 13% have been hit by refund fraud, where the fraudster pretends to be a trusted company and claims their target is due a refund – asking for personal information in order to do so.

The poll of 2,000 adults also found that 17% feel more targeted by such scams as Christmas approaches – with the number of victims rising by 41% over the last four months of 2022.

Consumers are swindled into paying for a product listed at an appealing, discounted price – but which doesn’t really exist, and will never arrive. And as a result, 44% worry that a small misstep over the holiday season could result in Christmas being ruined.

“NatWest’s “All Mod Cons” campaign is all about raising awareness of the different types of scams, and sparking those all-important conversations.

“The board game itself is the perfect way to combine the Christmas tradition of playing board games with loved ones, while offering a fun way to learn about fraud and scam prevention.”

https://get-latest.convrse.media/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2Fmoney%2Fpersonal-finance%2Fchristmas-scams-fraud-natwest-warning-31538822&cre=center&cip=23&view=web The research also found that 42% admit they either rarely, or never, discuss fraud and financial scams at home – yet 73% believe doing so would help them avoid falling victim to one, while 69% believe it would help people become more clued-up on new scams doing the rounds.

However, 25% would feel uncomfortable confiding in their family if they had been scammed and lost money. It also emerged 35% know someone who has fallen victim to a financial scam – and, of those who have, 36% said it had caused them to worry about their finances.

Stuart Skinner, fraud expert from NatWest, said: “The festive season is a time to spend with family having fun – but the fun can quickly end if one of you is hit by a scam.

“Our “All Mod Cons” campaign has been created to help increase knowledge of scams, by getting people talking and learning about them, which is a major step in combatting them.

“Of course, it’s concerning to see the modern developments from scammers to con people out of their money. However, your bank is continually working to stay on top of the latest developments, and keep you safe.”

This article was written by the Mirror.