More than 15,000 people scammed by fraudsters in six months

More than 15,000 people have been scammed by fraudsters in the last six months, a report today revealed. 

The amount of money individuals lost in the first half of 2010 ranged from £6 to over £1 million.

At least £3.5 billion is lost by fraud victims every year, according to Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre. The actual figure is likely to be much higher as many victims of fraud never report it.

The National Fraud Authority, which runs the reporting centre, is today calling on everyone to make a noise about fraud and report to www.actionfraud.org.uk if they have been scammed, conned or defrauded.

According to the National Fraud Authority, the top five most commonly reported frauds in the last month were:

1.     Online shopping and auction fraud.

2.     Advance fee frauds such as loan and psychic scams.

3.     Romance and dating frauds.

4.     Non-investment frauds such as miracle health and internet dialler scams.

5.     Share sale fraud.

Dr Bernard Herdan, chief executive of the National Fraud Society, said: ‘We’re very pleased to see so many people speaking up, but we know there are many more victims out there’.

‘People often feel embarrassed, but they shouldn’t. There are many types of fraud and anyone can become a victim.  If you report it to www.actionfraud.org.uk you can help us fight the fraudsters and make the UK a more hostile environment for fraud’.