20th August 2013
A new Which? survey reveals that UK consumers who fall victim to scams lose an average of £1,488, with holiday scams averaging out at the biggest loss at £3,677.
The figures have been published by Which? as a result of a survey of its members. Over the last three years, two-thirds of members surveyed said that they or someone they know had been exposed to a scam. In the same period, seven out of ten had noticed an increase in scam correspondence, while eight in ten expressed concern about a family member or friend being tricked. The most likely scams to fool consumers are online shopping scams, with three-quarters of those surveyed having been exposed, losing an average of £112.
However, the survey also revealed that consumers are becoming better at recognising certain scams, with 94% who were exposed to phishing emails not responding. As a result, fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated in how they attempt to gain victims' money and private information.
Richard Lloyd, Which? Executive Director, said: "It’s encouraging that consumers are becoming more vigilant about spotting common scams but as the scammers get more sophisticated, many people are still falling victim, with some being left severely out of pocket. Consumers should treat any unexpected correspondence with suspicion and be particularly wary of anything that sounds too good to be true."
To read some real life stories about recent holiday and travel scams, click here.
