The Book of Scams: How to spot fraudsters and avoid becoming the next victim

Scams are the big story of the modern age. Every week newspapers carry reports about ordinary people, often old, lonely and vulnerable, being conned out of thousands of pounds from fraudsters who turn up on the doorstep, the telephone or the internet.

No one knows the full scale of this fraud because embarrassed victims often fail to report it. Despite all the press coverage, people keep falling for old tricks that re-emerge in new guises. Scammers are ingenious, utterly ruthless and without conscience.

This is the first definitive guide to scams, categorising the different types, listing tell-tale signs and advising how to spot a fraudster and avoid becoming a victim. It makes the basic principles behind each type of scam more recognisable and it shows how scams evolve and re-emerge over time.

A definitive guide to scams has been long overdue but thanks to The Book of Scams help is at hand for those unwary souls who are tempted to part only too readily with their hard-earned cash. This book will alert them, their friends and family to the risks. It provides an intriguing insight into how these resourceful crooks operate.