Scammers exploiting WhatsApp have conned hundreds of people in the East Midlands out of more than £250,000 in recent months.
The fraudsters can be pretty convincing, often posing as a relative or friend from your contacts list who is urgently in need of cash. Others claim you have won a gift voucher and send you to a website, that is very much like the genuine one, and ask for your bank details.
Never give your bank details out following an unsolicited approach. Always check the validity of those making the request for personal details.
They infiltrate people's contacts lists in the first instance by targeting WhatsApp users with a six-digit code, which they send on a message and ask for it back by way of reply. Once in, they pose as you to your friends and family.
Find out how to spot the tell-tale signs of this particular scam and how to avoid falling into the traps, here.
If you have been a victim to a fraud of this nature, report it to Action Fraud.