Around 3.5 million Britons have fallen victim to telephone fraud since 2010 as criminals use increasingly sophisticated techniques to con money out of their victims, it has been claimed.

Phone fraud is now so common that more than six in 10 (63%) people have received a suspicious call over the past 12 months, with more than four in 10 (43%) targeted in the past month alone, according to the Money Advice Service (MAS). On average, around eight scam calls are made every second.

Worryingly, the amount of money extracted through phone fraud has doubled in the first half of 2015 compared to the same period last year.

Phone scammers generally claim to be calling from familiar companies and organisations - such as banks, utility firms or the police - before trying to con money or information out of their victims.

These criminals are increasingly using modern technology that makes it all the more difficult to spot the scam, the MAS warned.

Among all adults in the past year, almost one in 20 received a scam call that came from the same number as the organisation they were trying to impersonate.

This is known as 'telephone spoofing', in which scammers use software to mimic the caller ID number of an organisation, exploiting the trust that victims traditionally place in a specific telephone number, such as from their bank.

Another popular technique employed is the 'no hang up scam', where the criminal tries to gain the victim's trust by asking them to call the telephone number on the back of their debit or credit card.

But rather than hang up they keep the line open, spoof a dial tone and the fraudster's accomplice then 'answers' and impersonates whoever the victim thinks they are trying to call.

Nick Hill, at the MAS, said these new techniques made it essential that the public remained vigilant, and simply hang up the phone if suspicions are aroused.

"These criminals are clever and creative, using the latest technology to impersonate genuine organisations," he said.

"Consumers can protect themselves by being on guard. If you receive a call out of the blue and are asked for personal information play it safe and hang up. It is better to hang up on a genuine call and do your research than to risk your personal details and lose your money to a scam."

Mr Hill provided three tips to avoid falling victim to phone fraud:

:: If in doubt hang up.

:: If you do feel the need to call back, wait at least 10 minutes before doing so on an official number. This way you can be confident of avoiding the no hang up call. You can also try phoning a friend first before calling back, to ensure the line is indeed clear.

:: Never give your personal details or transfer money to someone who has called you out of the blue.