All mod cons The top scams and how to protect yourself

Hilary Osborne, Shane Hickey and Zoe Wood lift the lid on the current crop of scams trying to separate you from your money

- Hilary Osborne, Shane Hickey and Zoe Wood

The Black Friday sales and the festive season that follows could be busy times for scammers. In a survey by comparison website Compare the Market, 15% of respondents said they had been targeted by fraudsters around Christmas and New Year, and 12% around Black Friday and the January sales. But there are scams going on 365 days of the year. The latest data from the UK banking industry shows £629m was stolen through fraud in the first six months of 2025. The number of cases was up by 17% year-on-year at just over 20m.

The criminals' target is usually your cash or payment card details, but the method they employ to extract them are both many and varied.

Research by online bank Revolut published this week showed that just 17% of people felt confident in their ability to spot fake websites or scam offers online.

We have looked at some of the more common frauds doing the rounds, and have a guide to the red flags to look out for, and what to do if you fear you have been caught out by one.

'Black Fraud Day'

Ahead of the annual discount day next Friday, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned people to look out for criminals trying to take advantage of our love of a bargain. The scams involve authentic-looking websites mimicking famous brands and duping customers into handing over money and personal details.

What the scam looks like ...

A special offer may come via email, or you may see it on social media, posted from an account which was created recently. The consumer group Which? says low prices which are inconsistent with other sites should be one of the first alerts.

When you click through, you may find a website which is not fully developed - it may not have a privacy policy, a postage address or an "about us" page.