In a quirky take on the traditional advent calendar, NatWest has produced a ‘scamvent calendar’ focusing on the 12 most common purchase frauds, as it states that 41% of online shoppers have been approached in November and December by fraudsters.

The most common online scam was the sale of mobile phones, NatWest warned, with instances where a ‘counterfeit or stolen phone, a completely different item, or nothing at all’ is sent to the customer. These are predominantly taking place through online marketplaces, or social media adverts.

Concert tickets are the second most common type of online scam circulating the internet at this time of year, with purchasers receiving fake tickets then denied entry to the venue, or they just don’t receive anything at all. This is followed by fake gift cards, and then the sale of laptops and tablets.