Scammers conned more than a quarter of Britons

Bargains: Hunt for good deals is blinding people to obvious cons

The quest for an online “bargain” is making scam victims press ahead with a purchase even though they realise it may be a con, research has found.

More than a quarter (27%) of Britons have been the victim of an online marketplace scam, losing £63.76 on average in each incident, according to a report from website Gumtree.

Popular categories targeted by online fraudsters include items for sale, vehicles, jobs, services and property, the research found.

The desire to grab what looks like a cheap deal often overrides people’s instincts when shopping online, according to the survey.

More than a third (35%) of scam victims who thought an advert may be a fraud still went ahead. The top reasons for people falling victim included that something was perceived to be a good deal, while one in five (19%) were willing to take the risk because they really wanted something.

In some cases, a fraudster appearing to be kind and trustworthy – for example, offering to travel to the victim’s home to make a transaction – lulled them into a false sense of security.

Items subject to scams tended to be slightly cheaper than others available for sale but not so keenly priced as to arouse suspicion – making victims think they had spotted a good deal.

The embarrassment factor meant that, after being scammed, one in six (15%) victims did not tell anyone.

Researchers also showed eight adverts to people and asked them to identify the scams.

Only 7% correctly identified all the bogus ones – while 93% could not spot all the scams.

Those who spotted fake adverts said giveaway signs included spelling mistakes, pictures looking “dodgy”, a lack of detail and factual errors in the description.

The findings from the Psychology of Scamming report coincide with Scams Awareness Month, which sees Citizens Advice and Trading Standards Services leading activities throughout July.

Gumtree said it is working with various organisations to tackle online fraud and help keep people safe.

Scam victims were also asked what tactics had been used against them.

More than a quarter (27%) had been put under pressure to complete the transaction quickly, 17% had been encouraged to pay for the item without seeing it first and 15% had been persuaded to continue their discussion off the website they were using.

Gumtree general manager Morten Heuing said: “This research has told us that users of online marketplaces can be lulled into a false sense of security.

“We recognise our own responsibilities to help users stay alert and savvy to the tell-tale signs of fraudulent activity but as an industry we must do more.

“While millions of people use these websites safely and successfully, the reality is that fraudsters are out there exploiting honest users.”

The report included research among 2,000 people from across the UK and a further 1,000 scam victims.