FRAUD is "an endless problem" across the county.

That's the message from the boss of Dorset's trading standards service after figures show that more than 1,000 people in the county were being monitored by trading standards as victims of scams.

Trading standards service manager Ivan Hancock described the situation as miserable which has led to people not being able to trust anyone.

He added: "Locally, we’ve intercepted mail at the post box of people who have just been sending off £5 notes to scammers.

"This may not seem like much but once people have fallen for a scam they become the target for many others and this begins to add up."

Currently, more than 900 people have been identified as scam victims with the team working with more than 82 victims in the last three months alone.

111 people have also been identified as repeat victims so far and 777 people are still waiting to be seen by officers.

Mr Hancock, added: “Although we have almost 900 people we’ve identified as scam victims, a lot of these are people we’ve contacted after receiving information from national fraud organisations."

At the same time, Dorset Police have also warned of eight scams including Bogus Brexit investments where consumers are lured by fraudsters to promising but fake investment opportunities and romance scams where criminals create fake profiles to form a relationship with their victims.

They then use messaging to mine victims' personal details to use for identity fraud.

Across Dorset, police have also investigated incidences where fraudsters have cold-called members of the public to tell them that they owe HMRC a sum of money or that HMRC owes them a refund.

Criminals then obtain bank details and personal information from their unsuspecting victims and commit fraudulent activity on their bank accounts.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Kennard of Dorset Police's Economic Crime Unit, said: “Fraudsters will scam anyone - regardless of someone's age, background or where they live.

“Criminals contact their victims by telephone, mail, over the internet, social media, email and on people’s doorsteps. "They are always thinking of new ways to steal money from people, particularly the elderly."

A Dorset Police spokesman, added: “The emotional impact is significant and includes guilt, misplaced trust and diminished confidence, which can have detrimental effects on the physical and mental health of the victim, as well as increased social isolation.

“Remember - never give out bank details or bank cards in person, email, in the mail or over the phone - no matter where people say they are from and don’t let anyone into your property if you don't know them.”