Purchase scams and romance frauds pushed up the number of cases where people were tricked into losing money to fraudsters last year, according to a trade association. A record amount was lost to purchase scams last year, where people were tricked into paying for goods that never materialised, UK Finance said. It also warned that people looking to attend events such as the Olympics and Taylor Swift concerts could be targeted by scammers this year. Some 156,000 purchase scam cases were recorded, with a total loss of £85.9 million, marking the highest loss and case total recorded by the organisation, which represents the banking and finance industry. Purchase scams account for around two-thirds (67%) of the total number of authorised push payment (APP) cases – where someone is tricked into transferring money to a fraudster. With a purchase scam, the victim pays in advance for goods or services that are never received, often ordered on an online platform such as an auction website or social media. Lloyds Bank recently estimated that, based on analysis of its own scam reports, more than £1 million could already have been lost in the UK to fraudsters pretending to offer Taylor Swift concert tickets. Asked...