It’s so easy to fly into crooked web

MPS have quite rightly blasted the Government for not doing enough to stop fraudsters using social media to rip people off.

The all-party Treasury Committee found it is all too easy for crooks to advertise scam businesses on web platforms because they are not legally required to verify advertisers’ backgrounds.

I couldn’t agree more – and neither could these readers, who lost thousands of pounds to swindlers after being taken in by rackets posted online:

Malcolm from Leeds fell for an advert for cryptocurrency while on Facebook. The advert promised impressive returns and this, of course, captured his attention.

Savings

He clicked the link and read more of the “sales gumph”, as he called it, and was convinced that this would turn his £3,500 into a much greater sum. It was a scam and he lost all his savings.

Debra from Manchester saw diet pills advertised on Facebook – which were apparently endorsed by a celebrity.

She made a purchase but soon found out it was nothing but a scam. The pills were not genuine and the celebrity had nothing to do with the outfit selling them.

William in North London responded to an advert he saw on Google after searching for jobs.

For a fee of £89.99 the ad promised to review and make recommendations to his CV and locate suitable jobs. Desperate for work, William borrowed the money from his mum and signed up.

To date, he has seen no revised CV and has certainly not been put forward for any jobs.

Tracey in Edinburgh fell for a scam on Instagram. She started following a fraudster who purported to be a self-made millionairess, all from upcycling old furniture and other items. She posted lots of pictures of her alleged work, telling followers “anyone could do it” and claiming that she was able to teach anyone to succeed with this venture.

Tracey made contact and was offered an online course for £850.

Tracey, who lost all the money, told me: “From the returns she was telling me I would make, it seemed like a no-brainer to spend £850 to learn the ropes, so I did.”

It’s high time Britain had laws to stop these heartless fraudsters preying on innocent victims.