All UK email users are being urged to be “extra vigilant” after a surge of scams have been reported. Scams alert anything new but it appears more of us are being targeted by them and some catching people out. The new warning has been issued by the team at Action Fraud who say the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS), which launched in 2020, is seeing a massive spike in alerts.

In fact, the latest figures show a massive rise of 44 percent year-on-year, with almost 11,611,400 reports made to SERS in 2023, up from 8,074,200 reports in 2022.

For hackers the maths is quite simple – the more people you target the higher the chances of success. Most of the scams try to get you to install dangerous malware or attempt to steal money via fake links and even phone calls.

You might think most of us are now wise to these tactics but they are still tricking people and it can be costly. According to Action Fraud, a doctor from London recently lost more than £150 to a fake email claiming to be from TV Licensing.

The email suggests she needed to renew her TV licence as soon as possible. What made the phishing email so believable was that the victim’s TV licence had recently expired and the link in the email led to a fake TV Licensing website that replicated the real one.

“When fraudsters go phishing for valuable information, anyone could be a target,” Claire Webb, Deputy Head of Action Fraud, explained.

“They will hook an unknowing victim with a genuine-looking email, in a bid to get them to share personal information, or bank details. Year on year, the amount of people reporting phishing emails and texts is growing. Action Fraud is urging everyone to be extra vigilant of suspicious-looking emails landing in their inbox, which could contain malicious links leading to unknown websites.

“Remember, if you think you have received a phishing email or text message, make sure you report it. You can forward emails to report@phishing.gov.uk, or forward spam text messages to 7726.”

HOW TO STAY SAFE FROM SCAMS – ADVICE FROM ACTION FRAUD

• If you have any doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly using the contact details on their official website. Don’t click on links or call the number in the email as it may be fake.

• Received an email that doesn’t feel right? STOP! Report suspicious emails by forwarding them to: report@phishing.gov.uk.

• If you’ve lost money or provided financial information as a result of a phishing scam, notify your bank immediately