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Fraudsters are targeting homebuyers with fake mortgages in an attempt to get victims to pass on their bank details.

The average two-year fixed rate mortgage is now 6.4%. The five-year rate is 6%. A year ago those rates were a little above 3%.

With this in mind Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, has issued a warning to the public about a rise in mortgage scams.

According to the consumer magazine Which? in only the past two weeks, 538 reports of fake emails from supposed mortgage lenders have been received by Action Fraud.

Fraudsters are targeting homebuyers with fake mortgages in an attempt to get victims to pass on their bank details.

The emails “offer” low-rate mortgage deals over a limited period of time. These include links to check potential victims’ eligibility or get a personalised rate. The links then lead to fraudulent websites which are set up to steal victims’ banking information.

The links purportedly “see if you're eligible” or can “get a personalised rate”. By clicking on these links, users will be taken to the scam website which is designed to steal their bank details.

Which? says: “If you receive an email out of the blue offering you a cheap deal, it's highly likely to be a scam.

"If you have any doubts about whether a message is genuine, contact the company in question directly using the details on its website. Dodgy emails can be reported to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service by forwarding them to [email protected].”

Scam websites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre.

The magazine is also urging anyone who might be worried about their mortgage repayments to contact their bank as soon as possible.

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On June 23 the Government reached an agreement with the UK’s banks and building societies to offer more flexibility to struggling mortgage holders as rates rise increasingly fast. This came after bank bosses met the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, in Downing Street.

Support options might include temporarily extending your mortgage term; or switching to an interest-only mortgage to reduce the monthly payments.

Which? also has a guide which offers advice to people on what they can do if they are unable to pay their mortgages.

Sunderland home buyers warned to look out for fake mortgage scams