Fraud can have a truly devastating impact on those who fall prey to it, with victims losing substantial sums of money.

This can have a detrimental impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

Last year, I was contacted by an East Renfrewshire constituent whose business was targeted by fraudsters involved in Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams.

APP scams involve an individual unknowingly transferring funds to a scammer and they are becoming increasingly common as we do more of our shopping and banking online.

After being contacted by my constituent, I immediately raised the issue of APP scams at Westminster, securing a debate, questioning Ministers and putting pressure on the UK Government to act.

I continue to meet with financial organisations working to raise awareness of APP scams and to ensure the Government legislates for banks to fully reimburse victims of APP fraud.

There are various types of APP scams. The case of my constituent involved an impersonation scam, whereby fraudsters mimicked the business by sending emails to clients who were due to make payments.

A different type of APP fraud is purchase scams, which involve a victim being tricked into buying goods that are never received.

Purchase scams are regularly found on social media platforms, where people are offered cut-price goods.

A common example of a purchase scam involves the sale of a reduced-price games console online which a victim pays for but never receives.

There are also rarer types of APP fraud such as investment scams, where a victim pays money into bogus investment schemes, or romance scams, where people send money to a person they believe they are in a relationship with but have never met.

Often, APP fraud can be prevented by checking the bank details of the account you are transferring money to.

You should never hesitate to phone a business or an individual who is requesting payment to ensure the request is genuine.

I would also like to highlight that new statistics released last week revealed inflation had risen unexpectedly due to the increasing cost of food.

This is very unwelcome news as people continue to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis.

However, the SNP Scottish Government is continuing to support those struggling during these difficult times. For example, policies such as the game-changing Scottish Child Payment and free early learning and childcare are helping to reduce the financial burden on families with children.

A recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed the policies of the Scottish Government have resulted in families with children being £2,000 better off per year compared to their counterparts in England and Wales.

The actions of the Scottish Government stand in stark contrast to the recent budget unveiled by the UK Government, which scrapped the £400 Energy Bill Support Scheme, imposed real-term cuts to public sector pay and failed to scrap the benefits caps.

Meanwhile, at Westminster, I was delighted to meet actress Jane Horrocks to support the launch of Marie Curie’s Great Daffodil Appeal.

Marie Curie does powerful work in supporting people affected by terminal illnesses and those dealing with death, dying and bereavement.

Every March, the charity stages its Great Daffodil Appeal, encouraging supporters to wear daffodil pins and to donate to help it support people affected by terminal illness.

I am grateful to everyone in East Renfrewshire who supports Marie Curie and especially to those who work for the charity.

My team and I are working hard to help constituents with any issues they may have.

If you think I may be able to help you, please get in touch by calling 0141 648 8822 or sending an email to Kirsten.oswald.mp@parliament.uk.