Doorstep scams are on the rise and nearly a quarter of adults in the city were targeted in the last year.

People pretending to be energy suppliers, from well-known brands or security companies have tried to scam 24 per cent of adults in Brighton.

On average adults have been targeted four times in the last year, losing on average £171 each time just for answering the door.

The research commissioned by smart home security company Ring found Brighton was joint second for the most targeted city, equal to Edinburgh and second only to Belfast at 26 per cent.

This is much higher than the national average of just 15 per cent.

The most common form of scam involved criminals falsely claiming to represent energy firms and selling goods at an inflated price (both 26 per cent), while dodgy contractors have been reported as common too (17 per cent).

But this could be just the beginning of an increasing problem - 22 per cent claim to have noticed an increase in the number of scammers in their neighbourhood since March last year.

The study also found 21 per cent of the population know someone who has been the victim of an attempted scam or suspected scam in the last 12 months.

Elderly parents (38 per cent) and elderly neighbours (26 per cent) are the ones adults are most worried about falling victim to a doorstep scam.

The Argus:

Dave Ward, managing director at Ring, said: “With the rise of doorstep scams in our neighbourhoods across the UK, we understand family and friends are worried about loved ones being targeted, particularly those who are older or vulnerable.

"With this in mind we aim to provide an extra layer of protection with our technology, for those wanting to deter unwanted visitors or scammers."

TOP 10 UK CITIES TARGETED BY DOORSTEP SCAMMERS:

1. Belfast
2. Edinburgh
2. Brighton
4. Bristol
5. London
6. Newcastle
7. Manchester
8. Liverpool
9. Glasgow
10. Plymouth