Santander bank customers find £500 missing from accounts amid new warning

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A major bank has sounded the alarm, warning the public to be extra cautious of scammers during the festive period. This comes after reports emerged of customers losing almost £2 million to bank transfer scams at this time last year.In one distressing episode, a customer was conned out of £1,700 after they paid a seemingly legitimate "recruiter" on WhatsApp.

Santander has previously said the average cost of being scammed is about £500 disappearing from a person's account.Santander UK reported that a shocking total of £1,999,444 was lost by victims through authorised push payment (APP) scams from Christmas Day to New Year's Day.

These figures include a particularly severe case where one individual was tricked by an investment scam, losing over £600,000 – the largest single loss the bank saw in 2023.The festive season is often seen by criminals as an opportune moment to strike, targeting those who might be less vigilant due to the holiday cheer.

Those drawn to post-Christmas sales or seeking tickets for upcoming events, such as concerts, are especially vulnerable. On Christmas Day last year, there were multiple incidents reported involving fraudulent online sales of clothing through Instagram and purported tickets to football games and Taylor Swift concerts on Facebook Marketplace, reports Birmingham Live.