Martin Lewis said there's a clever trick people can use to avoid becoming victim to a scam.

The consumer expert appeared on Lorraine Kelly's show to offer advice to viewers about scammers.

And during the segment on ITV Lorraine revealed she had received a scam text herself during the pandemic.

She said: “I got a text pretending to be Royal Mail saying that I owed money on a letter.”

Lorraine added how this is happening to loads of people and they’re falling for it.Cumberland & Westmorland Gazette: Lorraine Kelly told Martin Lewis how she had received a scam text during the pandemic (Image: ITV)Lorraine Kelly told Martin Lewis how she had received a scam text during the pandemic (Image: ITV)

The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com expressed his concern at how dangerous these types of texts can be as they are often followed up by a scam call.

Martin said that he is getting “to the end of my tether” with the number of scams circulating in the country.

Martin explained that if you receive a call from someone telling you that it’s your bank and they are calling to discuss an “urgent” or "pressing" matter, the best thing to do is “put the phone down straight away”.

The journalist continued: “You put the phone down, you go find the number yourself, and this is the important bit - you call them back on a different phone.

More money saving advice from Martin Lewis:

“Call them back on your mobile if they called your landline, and your landline if they called your mobile.”

Martin advised viewers to wait an hour or two and to try calling a friend first.

He explained: “Even if you put the phone down and dial the new number, they could be holding on that line for you to pick it up and fake a dial tone.

“So, if you then call your best friend just to check and then they say, ‘Hello, Barclay’s Bank’, well you then know that you’re being scammed on the back of that.”

Cumberland & Westmorland Gazette: Martin Lewis appearing on ITV's Lorraine Martin Lewis appearing on ITV's Lorraine

Martin recommended “having your wits about you” and calling a helpline if needed.

He said: “Citizens Advice Scam Action is there to help people who think they might be being scammed.”

Victims of scams can visit the Citizens Advice website and report a scam online or contact them directly via email or phone.

“But we have a real problem,” Martin added.

He highlighted the effects scams have on people’s mental health, as well as on their finances.

Other scam warnings:

Martin explained how he is the chair of a mental health charity, Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, and said: “We know that people with mental health problems are over three times more likely to be victims of scams than everybody else.”

“There’s only so much saying this again and again and again on the television can do,” he told Lorraine.

“It is about time that we took the epidemic of scams in our country that destroys people’s financial and mental health a bit more seriously.”

Reporting potential scams

People are encouraged to report scams to Action Fraud, or for email scams contact the National Cyber Security Centre by emailing report@phishing.gov.uk.

If you have been the victim of a payment scam, you can get a crime reference number by reporting it to your local police station.

  • Have you been the victim of a scam? Let us know in the comments below.