AN EXPERT has warned residents to stay vigilant and beware of Black Friday scams, as new data suggesting Gloucester’s worries is released.
QR Code Generator investigated which UK cities are most worried about scams and found Gloucester the fifth-highest most worried about scams, with an average of 61 monthly searches relating to scams per 100,000 people. Gloucester’s most popular scam-related keyword is ‘reporting a scam email’, with a monthly average of eight searches per 100,000 people.
Researchers found the most commonly used search terms and ranked each UK city depending on which had the highest number of monthly searches on average per 100,000 people.
Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator said: "With 73% of UK adults being targeted by scams last year, which is equivalent to 40 million people, it is unsurprising that so many of us are worried about becoming a scam victim.
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“With this year’s Black Friday sales a couple of weeks away, scammers will be looking to take advantage of keen and unsuspecting shoppers. It is especially important to be vigilant around this time of year and look at the legitimacy of any emails, texts, or calls you may receive.”
Elsewhere in the South West, Exeter ranked tenth on the overall list, Plymouth 22nd, and Bristol 30th.
Online safety advice is available online.