The best way to beat a tsunami of terrifying scams is to warn people about them, says LEE BOYCE – that's why you should bookmark our new hub

Published: 05:39 EST, 7 September 2016 | Updated: 09:56 EST, 7 September 2016

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Since I started at This is Money almost seven years ago, one topic which has exploded in prevalence is fraudsters targeting your hard-earned cash.

Some of this involves sophisticated cyber and telephone crime, other crooks use old school methods that still manage to hook in victims and ultimately raid their finances.

Most criminals use a scattergun approach – if they can trick one person in 100, they know they can reap the rewards.

We want to reduce this statistic by arming people with the knowledge to beat fraudsters at their own game with our new Beat the Scammers hub page.

Scam watch: Falling victim to any type of fraud is a traumatic experience - we have created a Beat the Scammers hub page to arm people with more knowledge

Alongside this terrifying rise in crime is the way banks and police are struggling to cope, and in many cases the blame ends up with the person who fell victim, with 'negligence' cited.

Refunds are a grey area – and they seem to be becoming murkier, whether you're a victim of vishing, smishing or phishing, or any other type of fraud with a terrible moniker.

Some readers in our comment section can be as easily unforgiving – 'I would never fall for that scam,' people cry.

Our readers tend to be savvy and clued up about financial matters. Yet, still some get tricked by elaborate and worryingly convincing ruses.

We must also remember the vulnerable and elderly who may feel pressured into giving out details who are more likely to be trusting.

Likewise, in the heat of the moment, criminals prey on our fear of losing money and create a short-term burst of chaos which can make even the most cool of us make silly mistakes in a whirlwind of panic.

There has been a tsunami of fraud which has washed over Britain in the last few years – some of it originates here, some of it from gangs in areas such as Eastern Europe, Russia and the US.

To stay on top of it all, This is Money has created a Beat the Scammers hub page. It's worth bookmarking and telling your friends and relatives about.

The rise of fraud is not showing any signs of abating, but when we hear about a new fraud, help a victim to get their money back, or reveal the tricks conmen are up to now, we'll post the story here.

That will arm you with the knowledge you need to stay safe.

SEEN A SCAM?

Have you fallen victim to a scam or spotted one recently?

Let me know: lee.boyce@thisismoney.co.u k

Last year, online fraud losses were up a whopping 64 per cent annually to reach £133.5million according to Financial Fraud UK.

At the same time, phone banking fraud was up 92 per cent.

A recent survey by Nationwide Building Society found that one in three people would be trusting enough to transfer cash to an unknown account if they were called by someone posing as their bank, showing a knowledge gap when it comes to fraud.

Meanwhile, financial institutions are increasingly worried about the problem.

The proportion of respondents to the Bank's Systemic Risk survey highlighting cyber risk as a key concern was 46 per cent in the second half of 2015 - up from 30 per cent in the first half of the year and just 10 per cent in the last six months of 2014.

In the Beat the Scammers hub page, we have collated all of the scams we have reported on over the last few years and will keep it regularly updated.

It also contains guides and videos to keep you one step ahead of the criminal vultures.

Read it and tell your friends and family. The more people who know about the scams, the less victims there will be.