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Listen: Brits urged to be vigilant as only a third alert to scams on tech platforms

20th May 2021
Posted by Aston Avery

Britons see themselves as supersleuths when spotting lies to their face but aren’t always aware of the danger of scammers online.

Two-thirds (65 per cent) are confident in their ability to catch someone lying face-to-face – identifying tell-tale signs such as not making eye contact (76 per cent), fidgeting (51 per cent) or shuffling their feet (34 per cent) – but only a third (38 per cent) are alert to being targeted by a scam on social media.

This is despite the fact that 84 per cent are noticing an increase in suspicious or scam-related communications in the past year.

The poll comes as data from Barclays shows nearly half (45 per cent) of all scams in January to March 2021 originated on tech platforms (social media, auction/purchase websites or apps and dating sites).

Aston spoke to Tony Callaghan, former police officer now police script advisor on shows including Line of Duty and Jim Winters, head of fraud at Barclays to raise awareness surrounding scams.