Victims of scams lose £6 billion a year

FSA

Ever heard of 'suckers lists'? You don't want to end up on one. Millions of people fall victim to scams every year, losing a staggering £6 billion. The most common scams come from unsolicited emails or text messages, cold calls, fake lotteries, competitions and even extortions.

Lists of targets – which scammers call 'suckers lists' – are like a fraudster's phone book and are often traded between firms trying to con people out of their money. Almost 30% of people polled by consumer champion Which? who have been scammed said they were caught out by schemes claiming their bank accounts or computers had been compromised. Find out how these scams work and how to avoid them.