Santander warns 'all' customers who are aged between 18 and 93

Customers aged 18 to 93 were affected, the bank said, in a warning to bank account holders up and down the country.

Santander has issued a romance scam warning after customers lost £4,500 on average amid a 27 per cent rise in the crime. Customers aged 18 to 93 were affected, the bank said, in a warning to bank account holders up and down the country.

Half (50%) of people have received unsolicited online romantic or flirtatious messages, which they suspected or have confirmed to be a scam, according to an Opinium survey of 2,000 people for Santander in July. Nearly a third (29%) said they would offer financial help to a romantic partner they have known for less than six months.

Paul Gorton, a former contestant on BBC’s The Traitors, said: “In my experience, it’s surprisingly easy to build deep trust, especially when someone is charming and says all the right things. As we start to feel a connection, whether it’s real or not, we can end up overlooking red flags and ignore any warnings from others around us.

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“Stay vigilant to spot a traitor, it’d be too easy if they simply messaged you out of the blue asking for your money. Approach any new relationship with cautious optimism, complete checks and having your wits about you at the start.”

Santander has shared some tips to stay protected from romance and friendship scams. It explains: "It could be a red flag if the person you have been talking to online will not video call or meet you in person. Fraudsters will make excuses about why this cannot happen or change plans to do so at the last minute."

The bank, which is rivalled by the likes of Lloyds Bank, HSBC UK, NatWest, Nationwide, RBS and more, also said: "Never send money or give card details, online account details, or copies of important personal documents to anyone you have only met online."