As we enter Scams Awareness Month, John Fitzsimons looks at how to protect yourself from the scams that are trapping millions.
I got an email from Barclays last week about my current account, which raised immediate eyebrows.
The main reason for the surprise of course is that I don't have an account with Barclays, and never have. Looking at the email address of the sender, it was clear that the email wasn't actually from Barclays, but from a dodgy scammer.
Sadly these tricks are nothing new, but they often succeed in snaring victims.
February marks Scams Awareness Month, so here's some tips on how fraudsters are targeting us with mass-market scams, and what tactics they are using to separate us from our cash.
Scary statistics
According to the Office of Fair Trading, a whopping four million adults - that's about one in eleven of us - have responded to a scam at some time in their life, with a third losing money as a result.
And clearly there has been a big growth in the number of convincing scams - about two million adults have responded to a scam just in the last 12 months!
These scams aren't cheap
Being on the receiving end of a scam hits you where it hurts the most - your pocket. The Office of Fair Trading says half of those who have been scammed have lost at least £50!
A scary 5% have waved goodbye to at least £5,000. Ouch.
How they are getting us
Unfortuantely, the methods used by these scammers are increasingly sophisticated and manipulative, and they have clearly embraced technology as the best way to get to us.
Email is the most common way scammers try to lure us in - a whopping 73% of adults received a scam email in the past year. Letters (21%) and text messages (12%) are also popular, while the Office of Fair Trading emphasised that social media sites represent a new and growing threat.
What they are after
The people operating these schemes are only after one of two things.
The first is obviously your cash - of those who received further correspondence after responding to a scammer, more than half were asked to send money directly.
The other target for the scammers is your personal information - representing a third of those further correspondence requests - with which they can make even more cash, by taking out all sorts of loans and credit agreements.
Time for a Scamnesty!
One of the measures that the Office of Fair Trading is running in an attempt to halt the rise of these scams is a Scamnesty. The Office of Fair Trading has set up a number of Scamnesty bins or boxes at places like local libraries across the country where you can drop off any scam mailings that you have received.
Head over to consumerdirect.gov.uk/scamnesty and you can find your nearest centre, while you can also register any online scams you've seen with the site.
How you can protect yourself
Of course there are plenty of things you should be doing to protect yourself from these mass-market scams. It can be very easy to get a bit complacent, it's worth keeping vigilant.
Your best weapon is scepticism. Before you sign up for anything - and certainly before you send any money anywhere - take your time, and properly consider whether the whole thing sounds too good to be true.
Research is also the name of the game. A simple search on the internet will give you a decent idea of just how genuine the offer is, and how likely you are to ever see your money again. The Consumer Direct website also offers a terrific guide on the things to look out for in case you think something is a scam.
If you're still unsure, then you should try picking the brains of your fellow lovemoney.com users in our Q&A section, who may be able to share their own experiences of the firm in question.
I'd also recommend having a good read of 10 ways to spot a scam, which is full of terrific tips on what to keep your eye out for.
Protect your post!
Scammers can get at you in all sorts of ways, and identity theft is the big growth area - according to fraud experts CIFAS, there are around 80,000 cases a year.
One of the main ways these fraudsters get to you is through your post. The first thing you need to do to protect yourself is ensure your post is always secure - that means getting a lockable postbox for a start, if your post is delivered to a communal area.
You should also be hot on destroying any post with personal details once you've read them. My other half is a bit of a shredding machine - once the letter leaves my hand it's headed for the shredder!
But it's a good habit to get into.
For more hints and tips on how to guard yourself from ID fraud, be sure to have a read of Beat this rising fraud threat
Monitor your credit report
One way to keep on top of whether you have been scammed is to regularly monitor your credit report. Luckily, with lovemoney.com, you can get a free trial with Credit Expert.
It's worth remembering that after a month you will start being charged, so you may choose to cancel before that happens. However, I actually maintain my subscription, so that I get alerts every time anything changes or anyone checks my record.
You should also go through your record to correct any mistakes that are on there, as your record may be suffering through no fault of your own.