Scammers who trick the lonely

LONELY people are four times more likely to fall victim to scams, research shows.

Four in five of those polled said they had felt isolated and more than a third of that group had been a victim of fraud.

This compares to about one in ten victims who did not feel lonely.

The friendless are more likely to respond to strangers in order to feel accepted, leaving them at risk of fraud, the Nationwide Building Society study found.

Online dating scams, where fraudsters build up relationships to try to extract cash, were one of the biggest risks.