This comes as recent Barclays data shows that purchase scams – the most common type of scam, where people buy goods which never arrive or aren’t as advertised – have risen by 70 per cent, year on year.

With the festive season on the horizon along with major shopping days such as Black Friday, Barclays is launching a campaign urging people to follow their instincts when making financial decisions.

The bank’s research found three quarters (75 per cent) of people have noticed an increase in suspicious or scam related activity in the last few months and almost half (47 per cent) have been targeted by a scam by email and/or text.

Barclays is urging people to trust their gut instincts to avoid scammers.

Barclays data also shows that investment scams, where you’re invited to invest in something that isn’t what it seems or doesn’t exist, are the highest value fraud, and account for just under a third (31 per cent) of all money lost to scammers. Despite this, research shows that a huge 85 per cent of people choose to ignore their gut feeling when investing.

Ross Martin, Head of Digital Safety at Barclays, said: “Too often people ignore their gut feeling when making important decisions, which unfortunately can make them more vulnerable to scams. Scammers will play on your emotions and try to instill a sense of time pressure, or create a perceived scarcity – and therefore value – when making a purchase or investment.

“You should never feel rushed into buying or investing in something. If something sounds suspicious or doesn't feel right, speak to someone you trust – a family member, friend or your bank – for a second opinion.”

Barclays has partnered with gut health expert Dr Megan Rossi, to raise awareness of the important role the gut can play in helping people to identify if they are being scammed and provide useful advice for how to identify when your gut is trying to tell you something.

Dr Rossi said: “Your gut and brain are in constant two-way communication. This is known as the gut:brain axis, and is made possible thanks to the impressive web of hundreds of millions of nerves that connect the two.

“That science-backed feeling in your gut is often based on intuition, and has the power to keep you safe, in more ways than one. In fact, Barclays research shows that listening to your gut might have the power to help protect against fraud and scams risks that many face each day.”

To support with this knowledge gap when it comes to spotting the signs of a scam, Barclays has devised a simple mnemonic that can help remind people of what to look out for when their gut is trying to tell them something.

It is S.C.A.M – which stands for Sweating; Chest tightness; Aching (head or stomach); Mind fog.

The recent study by Barclays also shows the reasons people might ignore their gut feeling: a third (33 per cent) question their gut feeling if they are under time pressure, and another third (34 per cent) say they would re-consider their gut feeling based on the size or value of the opportunity.

Barclays urges customers to trust gut feeling to avoid Black Friday scams