Scots have lost more than £860,000 to cyber criminals in the last year as digital scams have increased by more than 1,000% in recent years, according to figures from the national consumer advice service.

In what is being dubbed a “scamdemic” by charity Advice Direct Scotland, the number of such crimes rose from 94 in 2021-22 to 1,119 in 2024-25 – a 1,090% increase.

The charity, which runs the consumeradvice.scot website offering advice on avoiding scams, says the reality of the so-called scamdemic is likely to be far worse as the figures do not include cases which go unreported or are reported directly to police.

It urged the public to remain vigilant as scammers’ methods become more sophisticated.

Over the same 2021-22 to 2024-25 period, it said social media scams rose 847%, or fro

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