Figures released by an advice charity have named Norwich as a national hotspot for scamming with 77 cases reported in three months.

A study by Citizens Advice ranked the city 11th in a list of the top 20 places in England and Wales where people fell victim to fraudsters.

Between January and March this year, scams claimed an average of £1,814 from victims – the national average was £2,500 – with one incident claiming £30,000 from its victim for building repairs.

The most common method used included cold calls, doorstep calls and emails asking for an upfront fee to claim compensation for bank charges.

The report analysed 5,000 scam cases reported to Citizens Advice. Bournemouth topped the chart with residents reporting more scams than people in any other area in England and Wales.

Figures are based on the number of scams per head of population.

Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy said: 'Con-artists are using different tricks to rob people up and down the country.

'Some areas are suffering a blight of cold-calls about computer viruses, while others are bombarded with letters about lottery winnings which actually cost the victim

money.

'If you think you may have lost money to a fraudster, seek advice straight away so you can try and get your money back. Reporting scams is the only way to stop scams from spreading, and get them closed down for good.'