It can happen to any of us. A phone call from someone claiming to be from an organisation we trust, or a text message from a person we think is a friend or family member. Only the person you’re interacting with isn’t actually who they say they are. And is, in fact, trying to scam you. 

April 2023 research by UK Finance has found that around £177.6 million was lost to impersonation scams in 2022. In total there were 45,367 cases of these types of scams last year.  

In general, just over half of us say that we always check whether any request for money or personal information is legitimate before proceeding. Fraudsters are hoping to exploit those of us who don’t check carefully enough, with devastating consequences.  

Recognising the problem of financial scams, the government is introducing a blanket ban on companies cold calling people about financial products. 

If you have any questions about scammers, please do not hesitate to contact Gail Green.