NatWest issues warning as customers face losing £549 from bank account

NatWest has issued a warning to customers over a rise in scams during November and December, as Black Friday and Christmas mania hit. New research from NatWest shows that 41% of British adults receive more scam approaches during November and December

NatWest has launched a unique Scamvent calendar to highlight the 12 most common purchases that are most at risk of being a scam. The scheme features 12 doors and finely crafted artisan chocolates, each representing one of the 12 most common purchase scams the public are likely to encounter this festive period.

A record £85.9 million was stolen by criminals in 156,516 purchase scams last year, with 92% of them originating online; a 34% increase compared to 2022. Phone scams top the list with 26 per cent, ahead of ticket scams in second place at 23 per cent.

READ MORE: Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, Santander customers face new £100 charge 'through no fault of own'

READ MORE: Parents of boy buried in garden were 'stupid and blameworthy but not criminals' - court told

READ MORE UK faces 1 inch snow per hour this week with three parts of England worst-hit

A record £85.9 million was stolen by criminals in 156,516 purchase scams last year, with 92% of them originating online - £549 each. Online vouchers or gift cards (23%), laptops and tablets (21%), clothing (19%), home tech appliances (15%) (e.g. vacuum cleaners, microwaves) and jewellery (12%) completed the top ten alongside vdeo games (11%), cars and other vehicles (11%) (e.g. campervans) and watches (10%).

Luxury handbags (9%) and trainers and shoes (9%) rounded off the dozen. Stuart Skinner, Fraud Expert from NatWest, advised: "We all know that now is the time of year when a lot of us will be shopping; either for a Black Friday deal or getting ahead of our Christmas shopping list. We want the UK public to feel confident in taking action today to keep their money safe, so we're reminding everyone to watch out for purchase scams.

“You have to be careful when buying online because you can’t always be sure what you’re getting. Take a few minutes to go through our top tips or visit our Security Centre for more shopping guides. That could make all the difference between having a happy and safe experience, or you or your loved ones going through the heartache of losing money to criminals this season.