NatWest has shared some top tips to protect yourself against scams – including being honest with your bank about payments, and never responding to unsolicited calls, texts, or emails.

Other top tips include being aware that trusted organisations, like your bank or the police, will never ask you to transfer money to keep it safe, or ask for your full PIN or password.

And being open with your friends and family, and sharing information about common scams and how to spot them, is also key to help protect your loved ones from becoming victims.

The advice comes as the bank commissioned research of 2,000 adults, examining the rapidly evolving methods con artists use to scam people out of their cash.

Six in ten of those polled (61%) say they now notice they are being targeted more by digital scams, such as online or via social media or messaging apps, than they are in real life, like door to door scammers.

In the past year alone, over seven in ten have been targeted by scams, with the most prevalent of these being phishing scams (37%) – fake emails, calls, or messages from what seems to be a legitimate organisation, asking for personal or financial information.

This was followed by trusted organisation scams (21%), where fraudsters pose as a company you use, like an energy provider or HMRC, and tell you there is something wrong with your account, or that you owe a fine.

And 13% have fallen foul of a refund scam, whereby criminals impersonate a trusted organisation and tell you that you're due a refund, and ask you to share your banking information.

It emerged that 13% have lost money to fraud in the last 12 months, with 7% of those losing as much as £5,000.

But while 63% are concerned about their financial safety online, over four in ten (42%) still don't believe they will fall victim to fraudulent activity.

Stuart Skinner, fraud expert from NatWest, said: “We continue to see scams on the rise, especially through digital and social media channels. With the increase in new digital tactics used by fraudsters, it’s becoming increasingly harder for consumers to spot, avoid, and track.

“Messaging platforms, including WhatsApp and social media sites, are providing more channels for scammers to operate and reach people through, meaning it can be hard for people to keep up with what they should be looking out for next.”

With digital scams on the rise, 16% know someone who has refused to shop online because they are concerned about being targeted, while one in ten know someone who won’t book their holiday online to avoid being scammed. And 61% are concerned about their vulnerable relatives becoming a target.

Furthermore, eight in ten of those polled are concerned that impersonation fraud – when criminals pretend to be friends, family, or trusted organisations – may become harder to detect in the next five years, because of the rise in AI.

And NatWest data has revealed this fraud already makes up 40% of scams amongst the over-55s.

Meanwhile, 18% of those surveyed have replied to a message from an impersonator in the past, initially believing it to be a friend or family member.

As a result, 81% believe more should be done to stop scams at their source, and 83% want to become more vigilant at recognising impersonator fraud themselves.

Stuart Skinner, for NatWest, which offers help and advice about fraud and scams, said: “Talking about fraud with your family and friends is a good way to share information across generations, and keep up to date with latest guidance.

“This is particularly important following the increase in “friends and family” scams, where fraudsters impersonate a family member and ask for cash or information – which our research has revealed is the fourth most common type of scam that Brits say they have been targeted with this year.

“Fraudsters are continuing to develop new and more modern ways of trying to trick people out of their money, and we want to support everyone in what to watch out for.

“We’d always encourage our customers to get in touch if they have any concern they’re being targeted by a scam.”

NATWEST TOP TIPS TO AVOID SCAMS:

1. Knowledge share: Discuss scams you are targeted by, or hear about, with your family and friends, and share information about how to spot and avoid them.
   
2. Be honest with your bank: Scammers may ask you to lie to your bank about what a payment is for. Never mislead your bank about the reason for a payment.
3. If it's too good to be true: When making purchases online or from social media, always do your research, and if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Check the contact details on the website – if there is no address or phone number given, this is an indication that the site may not be genuine.
4. Be in the know: Your bank, the police, or other trusted organisations, will never ask you to transfer money to keep it safe, or ask for your full PIN, password, or passcode.
5. Take care: Never respond to unsolicited calls, texts, emails, or social media messages, or open attachments that you feel might be suspicious.
6. Use the tools in your banking app: Always check your payment requests are going to who you meant them to, and pay attention to the scam warnings on your texts and in your banking app. They’re there to keep you safe.

TOP SCAMS BRITS HAVE BEEN TARGETED WITH THIS YEAR:

1. Phishing scams (37%) – Fake emails, calls, messages, or websites that seem to be from legitimate organisations, which ask you to provide personal/financial information.
   
2. Trusted organisation scams (21%) – Criminals contacting you impersonating trusted organisations such as HMRC, energy companies, or service providers, saying there’s something wrong with your account, you owe a fine, or similar.
3. Refund scams (13%) – Criminals impersonating trusted organisations, telling you that you’re due a refund and asking to share your personal or banking information, such as your one-time-passcode, to receive the refund.
4. Friend or family scams (12%) – Messages sent to your phone or via social media claiming to be someone you know, asking for money urgently to pay bills.
5. Get Rich Quick scams (9%) – Criminals claim that you’ll make money quickly by investing in a company or goods, with the promise of making far more than you put in.
6. Purchase scams (9%) – Criminals place adverts for fake consumer goods and products online, on popular social media, and even on auction sites, to gain money or information. Products often include tech like games consoles, vehicles, concert and event tickets, and designer clothing, as well as pets, or even holidays.
7. Investment scams (8%) – Criminals encouraging people to invest money into fake opportunities or pyramid schemes.
8. Safe Account scams (7%) – Criminals call pretending they are your bank or the police and that there has been fraudulent activity on your account, and to protect your funds you must move them to a new account to keep them safe.
9. Lottery cons (7%) – Falsely being informed you have won a lottery prize, with a request to send over sensitive personal and/or financial information to claim your prize.
10. Befriending scams (6%) – Criminals create fake accounts on social media and send connection requests, and after building up a friendship they ask for money, login information, or other favours.