A warning has been issued after seven million UK adults were hit by a scam in the past year, with 20 per cent of them significantly affected by the financial loss.

Another seven million adults knew of at least one other person who had been deceived by a scam, a survey for the charity suggests. The data has sparked Citizens Advice to urge consumers to be cautious when taking advantage of shopping deals ahead of Black Friday and Christmas.

One woman helped by Citizens Advice, an 84-year-old from north-east England, was persuaded to pay around £40,000 in cash to scammers claiming to be from her bank’s fraud department.

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She used her life savings, pension money and was pressured into borrowing from a friend. She said: “The scammers said my identity had been stolen by internal bank staff and the issue had to be dealt with in absolute secrecy. It was pressure right from the beginning. They don’t give you time to think.

“Straight away I had to go to the bank, even though the nearest branch is 30 miles away. I had to send the cash in packets of thousands of pounds to four different addresses, they gave me explicit details on how to pack it up.

“They caught me at the most vulnerable I’d been for a long time. I thought I was doing my bank a favour by trying to unearth a mole in their staff. There was always this promise I would get the money back but the phone calls started easing off and of course the money never came.”

Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said: “Anyone can be scammed and the impact can be devastating, leaving people not only out of pocket but in some cases unable to go about their daily lives.

“It’s important to be alert. If you’re not sure about something, get advice. If you think someone might be trying to scam you, act straight away.”

Kate Dearden, minister for workers rights and consumer protections, said: “Too many of us know the devastating consequences of scams. As part of our Plan for Change, we have taken decisive action to improve transparency, including cracking down on subscription traps, and banning fake reviews and hidden fees once and for all.”

National Trading Standards chairman Lord Michael Bichard said: “We urge anyone who has been targeted by a scam to report it, however large or small the financial loss.

“By coming forward, people can receive the support they need and their information will be vital in helping to stop these criminals in their tracks.”