SHOPPERS are being warned to watch out for online fraudsters this Christmas after it was revealed Lancashire residents were conned out of £238,526 last year.
Police, who have teamed up with Action Fraud and Get Safe Online, warned that the most common time for victims to initially make contact with the fraudster was on Black Friday or Cyber Monday as people head online to bag bargains.
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DC Mark Laing, of the police’s digital investigation unit, said: “Online shopping continues to thrive and we know that so many people will be surfing the net to buy gifts for their loved ones. We want to make sure that they don’t fall victim.
“Last year during the festive period there were 299 reports of online shopping and auction fraud made to Action Fraud from people within Lancashire.”
“If anyone falls victim to one of the dozen festive frauds, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 040 or at actionfraud.police.uk.”
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