A warning has been issued about gift card scams in the latest Isle of Man Cyber Security Centre (CSC) report.

Covering March and April, the report flags up the dangers we all face online with scammers and fraudsters ready to take advantage.

Over the two months, a total of 716 suspicious emails were reported to the CSC. The most common complaint related to those that contained a malicious link.

Also common were advanced fee frauds and phishing emails where the fraudster tries to steal sensitive information such as passwords or credit card numbers.

In terms of cyber concerns, smishing – which is like phishing but using text messages – were the most common complaints followed by purchase scams.

Within the report are a number of case studies relating to the different types of scams attempted by fraudsters.

But one disturbing case related to gift card scams which are commonly used in romance fraud.

One Isle of Man resident was manipulated into sending £1,500 in Apple gift cards to a scammer posing as a member of the military.

The CSC report says: ‘The scammer made contact with the victim via Facebook Messenger in early March. Over time, he claimed he was serving in the military and needed gift cards to pay his commander in order to be discharged.

‘The victim, believing the story, purchased and sent the gift cards in mid-March. As is typical in these types of scams, the fraudster soon asked for more money.’

Although the victim soon realised the fraud and cut off contact, it only escalated with the fraudster then attempted to blackmail the victim by threatening to post intimate photos online unless a further £4,000 was paid.

The report adds: ‘This case highlights two key warning signs of romance scams: requests for payment using gift cards and a sudden escalation to emotional manipulation or threats.

‘Gift cards are a favourite tool of scammers because they are difficult to trace and nearly impossible to recover once sent.’