By Erin Smith

In recent months I have had multiple texts about a parcel being lost and I should “click on this link” to refund my parcel.

This would be a parcel that I, funnily enough, hadn’t ordered and thankfully I was smart enough to not click on these types of links.

However, while scrolling through social media I have seen adverts selling lovely clothes at a cheap price.

I looked through the website and at reviews to make sure it was legitimate before I committed to any purchases and when I purchased the items, I was given an estimated arrival date and a contact email for if anything goes wrong.

The week after the estimated arrival date had past, I was slightly concerned about where my parcel was.

As I typed in the email of the website to get in contact, it showed the email address couldn’t be found.

I then tried to go back onto the website where I order the clothes and there was an unexpected error. The website had been shut down and was gone.

This is when I realised that I had been scammed and lost money which I wouldn’t be getting back.

Even by taking the necessary precautions to make sure the website was alright to purchase from, I was still deceived and learned a lesson.

As a young adult, actively on social media I can imagine that lots of other people could have been in the same situation as me or even worse.

Young adults are often caught out in financial fraud by online shopping which has increased in popularity since Covid-19 in 2019/2020.

The websites can trick people, collect their bank details and then go on to spend the person’s money.

Middle aged individuals are also likely to get tricked by these fake online shopping websites and sometimes can’t afford this risk as they have properties and bills to pay for.

Older people typically get a link in a text or a fake phone call which can tell them false information about an upsetting scenario that they may believe as they are not so ‘tech-savvy’ they may go on to create a false claim which can get them into financial bother.

Other than being scammed online or from a false link, people may experience financial harm by their own family members.

A source from Gov.uk stated that 16% of adults in the UK have experienced economic abuse and 60% of victims and survivors have been left in debt or with an impacted credit rating.

A report from Police Scotland is urging people to alert vulnerable adults in communities who are at risk of financial harm.

Today is the ‘Adult Support and Protection Day’ and they are encouraging those with any concerns to get in contact and seek support.

Financial harm can take place in work, at home and anywhere really. It is something that people notice too late which can often result in them in a deep financial debt.

You can contact the Money Talk Team at 0800 085 7145 or specific reports around victims of financial crime by calling Police Scotland and dialling 101.

Adult Support and Protection Day - How You Can Avoid Fraud