Santander says cases of purchase scams jumped by a third last year – costing its customers millions of pounds. The banking giant estimates that in 2023, £7.3 million was lost by people who were caught out by fake adverts posted to online selling sites and market places. The average claim, says a report into the fraud, was £500. The sharp rise in fake listings, in which criminals pose as sellers offering items for sale that are not as described or simply don’t exist, has led to a 32% increase in incidents involving the bank’s customers when compared with 2022. Often, says Santander, the buyer i…