Santander issues warning amid 'worrying rise' in scam as victims lose £12,000 each

msn.com:

READ MORE: Santander UK extends 2. 5% interest rate offer and increases rates across savings rangeOnce the money is deposited, the scammers will freeze the account and steal the funds, according to Santander.

They'll gain access by tricking the victim into downloading remote access Trojan (RAT) software, allowing them to hijack the user's computer, it added.

Chris Ainsley, Head of Fraud Risk Management, Santander UK said: "We're seeing a worrying rise in 'celebrity-endorsed' cryptocurrency scams, where familiar faces are being misused on social media in order to con people out of often life-changing sums of money. "Rather than revelling in the promised high returns, people are losing significant sums after being duped by these highly sophisticated criminals. "Always do your homework and thoroughly research any investment opportunity before moving any money - irrespective of who is endorsing it. "If someone thinks they've been the victim of a cryptocurrency scam, they are urged to report it to their bank straight away.

If a person has downloaded software to supposedly help with the investment, they should turn off and unplug the computer and not use it until they have removed the software and had it checked by a computer technician.