New research has revealed that three quarters of people aged 55 or over are concerned about being caught out by scams.

The survey by Santander also reveals that one in five people aged 55 or over believe they have been victims of an attempted scam in the last 12 months.

Here are the most common types of scams:

The courier scam: A fraudster calls you posing as your bank, a police officer or an official from another organisation.

■ They ‘spoof’ the telephone number or text message to make it appear to be a call or text message from a genuine company, bank or other organisation.

■ The fraudster will then convince you to enter your PIN details into the phone and tells you a courier will be sent to collect your card.

■ The fraudster now has your PIN. So once they collect your card they can withdraw cash and spend it!

Requests to transfer funds: This is the most common telephone scam.

■ This involves a fraudster calling you posing as your bank or another organisation. The number they’re calling from may be ‘spoofed’ to make it look like it’s from your bank or another legitimate organisation.

■ They tell you that you’re at risk of fraudulent activity and must transfer your funds into a ‘safe account’.

■ You will often be pressured to act immediately.

■ This ‘safe account’ is actually the fraudster’s account, so your money is sent directly to the fraudster.

Requests to withdraw cash: Some fraudsters pose as police officers to persuade you to visit your local branch and withdraw funds from your account. They’ll tell you that you’re helping with a police investigation.

■ The fraudster will tell you not to inform the staff at the branch of the real reason for the withdrawal.

■ Once withdrawn, the money is collected in person from you by a courier or the fraudster themselves.

■ Some fraudsters might ask you to make a high value purchase, for example a watch, which is taken by the fraudster.

■ Once withdrawn, the money is collected in person from you by a courier or the fraudster themselves.

■ Some fraudsters might ask you to make a high value purchase, for example

Buying scams: These scams are where you find an item online at a very reasonable price, but after talking to or emailing the seller, you’re told that the item (such as a car) can’t be seen in person.

■ The seller will persuade you to transfer money to secure the item.

■ Sometimes they send you a fake website link to send the payment. This is to make the transaction look real.

■ Beware – the site may look like a well-known website, but the link will take you to a fake website.

■ Once the funds are transferred into the fraudster’s account, the seller and listing vanish. And it’ll leave you without the item or your money.

Selling scams: Be careful when you’re selling something. A buyer could be a potential fraudster. Here’s how they do it.

■ The buyer will give you a cheque of greater value than the value of the item being sold. They ask for the extra money to be transferred back or sent to a third party, for example a ‘shipping agent’.

■ Once this has been done by the seller, the cheque bounces and the buyer then disappears, leaving the seller out of pocket.

Pension liberation scams: Changes in pension regulations in April this year allow the over-55s to take lump sums out of their pension pots.

There are many genuine pension liberation schemes on the market, but for those that are not, they may be linked to other fraudulent investment schemes which carry tax implications, large fees and inflated returns. To ensure that you do not fall victim to this scam:

■ Never give personal or financial information to a cold caller.

■ Check the credentials of the company and any advisers – they should be registered with the Financial Conduct Authority.

■ Ask for a statement showing how your pension will be paid at retirement, and question who will look after your money until then.

■ Speak to an adviser that is not associated with the deal you’ve been offered, for unbiased advice.

■ Never be rushed into agreeing to a pension transfer.

Friendship/romance scams: Dating or romance fraud is when you think you’ve met your perfect partner online, but they aren’t who they say they are. Once they’ve gained your trust, they ask for money for a variety of emotive reasons.

■ Never send money to anyone you don’t know and trust.

■ Never give your credit card or online account details to anyone.

■ Always chat through the dating site or chat room where you met – not via email.

■ Protect your privacy and do not reveal too

TIPS for protecting against fraud

Security details – never give any of these out in full.

Always check that a caller is genuine. Beware – caller IDs can be ‘spoofed’.

Funds – never transfer money out of your account for ‘security reasons’.

Emails – never reply to these with your personal or security information.

Remember to let your bank know when your contact details change.