On average, people lost £11,872 to this type of scam in the first quarter of this year, Santander UK said.Based on the current growth in these frauds, Santander UK is expecting to see an 87% increase in volume of cases in 2022, compared with 2021.
“Always do your homework and thoroughly research any investment opportunity before moving any money – irrespective of who is endorsing it.” They are told to download specialist software to support them opening cryptocurrency accounts. The software is remote access software, giving the fraudster full access to the customer’s computer.The fraudster then freezes access, and takes over the customer’s account, leaving the victim unable to access their money.
If they have downloaded software to supposedly help with the investment, they should turn off and unplug their computer and not use it until they have removed the software and had it checked by a computer technician.