POLICE and spy chiefs have issued an unprecedented warning to Sun readers over online Black Friday and Christmas shopping cons.
More than £15million was nicked last year with the average loss at £1,000.
Most scams involved mobile phones, electronics, cars and designer clothes — and people aged 19 to 25 were most likely to be victims.
One buyer lost £7,000 when they tried to buy a camper van.
But officials fear scams could soar this year as the cost of living crisis forces more shoppers to hunt for rock-bottom prices.
They said criminals pose as genuine sellers on popular online marketplaces with deals that prove “too good to be true”;.
The warning comes jointly from the National Crime Agency, the National Cyber Security Centre and City of London Police.
The crime-fighting trio urged online shoppers to protect their accounts using two-step verification and strong passwords.
People should also check reviews from trusted sources before buying, and use a credit card to pay or platform such as PayPal, Google or Apple Pay.
The officials said: “And, if you see what you think is a scam email, text or website then report them.
“Last year, the public made 6.5million reports to the suspicious email reporting service, and as a result we removed 62,000 scam websites.”;
