Scammers have conned British citizens out of more than £2m in coronavirus-related scams.

Action Fraud have revealed that a total of £2,120,870 has been lost by 862 victims of the crime.

More than £300,000 has been taken by scammers from 221 victims since last Thursday, April 9.

The national cyber-crime agency have also received 3,621 reports of phishing emails relating to coronavirus.

A spokesman for Action Fraud said: "Criminals continue to exploit the coronavirus pandemic to defraud innocent members of the public.

"Currently, coronavirus-related frauds make up 3-5 per cent of all fraud reports we receive.

"To keep this number as low a possible, we want people to be aware of the very simple steps they can take to protect themselves from handing over their money, or personal details, to criminals."

The organisation has issued three key steps to follow to protect yourself from the con-artists, with people being asked to stop, challenge, and protect.

By taking a moment to stop and think about what's happening before handing anything over, you could see through the fraudster's plan.

Refusing or ignoring any requests is also encouraged if you think it could be fake, as only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

Finally, if you think you've fallen for a scam, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud.

Visit actionfraud.police.uk/covid19 to stay up-to-date with the latest scams and how to avoid being caught out by them.

Scams can also be reported on the site by clicking Reporting.