Around 40 million Britons have been targeted by scammers this year, making us the 'fraud capital of the world'.

That is according to claims.co.uk which examined an official ONS survey of nearly 24,000 people over the age of 16 to uncover the most common characteristics of fraud and computer misuse victims in the UK.

From Royal Mail scams to Apply Pay text scams, fraud warnings flood UK news feeds every day.

Losses per person here is higher than in any other major western economy including the US, Canada and Australia.

And it seems it is not the elderly who are most vulnerable.

Claims.co.uk has said that Generation X - those born between 1965 and 1980 - is the 'most reckless'.

Those aged between 45 to 54 years old (7 per cent of those surveyed) have fallen victim to fraud the most - two percent more than those between 65 to 74 years old (5.5 per cent).

Those with higher social status are more likely to be the target of scammers, with 8.1 per cent of victims being professionals or those at managerial levels. Additionally, divorcees (7.9 per cent) are also more susceptible to fraud than married couples (6.6 per cent).

The most common amount of financial loss suffered by victims is revealed to be around £100 to £249, while the biggest loss recorded, £40,000 or more, was only suffered by less than one per cent of those surveyed.