News about Ross Martin

When she promised to lend £50 to an old family friend, Ebony King, 32, (pictured), she became unintentionally involved in a money laundering scheme. Her friend paid her two months later by transferring the money to her account. But she discovered she had overpaid her by hundreds of pounds when she tried to delete it.

According to bank reports, victims of the scams' losses average £10,000 to fraudsters. More than a quarter of Britons have been harmed by romance scammers or know someone who has. More than half of all funds lost is for people aged 51 to 69.

Christmas shoppers are being warned to avoid scams ahead of Black Friday, which includes a WhatsApp message promoting 'free' British Airways flights. According to Barclays Bank results, the number of reported purchase scams since Black Friday and Cyber Monday last year increased by 34%, with an average of £1,072 lost to scammers. It comes as a result of bank study that shows that nearly nine out of ten Britons are relying on Black Friday to do some or all of their Christmas shopping this year.

Customers are being more cautious as crooks exploit economic uncertainty, including Barclays, HSBC, and Santander. During a surge in scams targeting households' financial stability, financial watchdogs and consumer organizations have also issued stern warnings. The Financial Trade Association warns that cynical fraudsters are already profiting from impersonating power companies.

One out of every eight password reset attempts - where users are attempting to change their password after having forgotten it - were made by scammers attempting to take over someone's account in the second half of 2021. This was up from one in 50 attempts in the first half of 2020. If crooks gain access to just one of your online accounts, you put yourself in danger of identity theft and could be more vulnerable to impersonation scams.