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.”
