Exclusive: Financial scams have become hidden epidemic as impersonation cases double in a year
Victims losing £4,000 on average from criminals impersonating institutions like the NHS, as experts warn we are all potential targets
7 March 2021 • 9:00pm
Financial scams are an epidemic within the pandemic , a former investigator has warned, as the number of victims falling for fraudsters impersonating the likes of HMRC, the NHS and Royal Mail doubled last year.
Figures obtained by The Telegraph from UK Finance, the banking trade body, revealed that the number of impersonation scams, where fraudsters contact potential victims pretending to be a trusted authority, doubled in 2020 to 39,360 cases.