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Police sound warning over social media sites driving scam investments

Youngsters feel brunt of fraudulent offers to make easy money

Instagram was the most referenced platform (35.2%), followed by Facebook (18.4%) according to a 26 May report from Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime
Instagram was the most referenced platform (35.2%), followed by Facebook (18.4%) according to a 26 May report from Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime Photo: Getty Images

Investors have lost £63m to scammers flogging fraudulent investments on social media apps during the pandemic, The City of London Police revealed.

Over the past 12 months, 5,039 reports of investment fraud were made citing social media platforms, with 44.7% of reports stating the fake commodity they had been scammed into investing in was a type of cryptocurrency.

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