The Independent

Tricked consumers lose record amount to purchase scams in 2023 – UK Finance

Source: PA Archive

Purchase scams and romance frauds pushed up the number of cases where people were tricked into losing money to fraudsters last year, according to a trade association.

A record amount was lost to purchase scams last year, where people were tricked into paying for goods that never materialised, UK Finance said.

It also warned that people looking to attend events such as the Olympics and Taylor Swift concerts could be targeted by scammers this year.

Every year we see a cycle of scams changing throughout the year

Ben Donaldson, UK Finance

Some 156,000 purchase scam cases were recorded, with a total loss of £85.9 million, marking the highest loss and case total recorded by the organisation, which represents the banking and finance industry.

Purchase scams account for around two-thirds (67%) of the total number of

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