Surrey Police are warning people to be alert to a new scam that is being perpetrated via Facebook Messenger, with messages that appear to be from friends or family asking to use the recipient's Paypal account.

The message usually says that the friend or family member is having trouble with their Paypal account and can't receive money after selling an item on Ebay. A lot of the messages claim the item 'sold' is a camera.

A police spokesperson warned: "The messages are actually sent by fraudsters. They ask the recipient to receive the money into their own Paypal account and transfer the money over to them, but once this transfer is done they're able to reverse the transaction and take the money from the victim's account."

The force is asking people to pass on the following advice to prevent people from falling victim to the scheme, either through financial loss or by having their Facebook account hacked and fraudulent messages sent on their behalf to family and friends.

• Even if a message asking for assistance with a financial transaction comes from someone you know, check it's really them by contacting them using another means first.

• Never respond to any requests to send or have money transferred into your account by someone you don't know and trust.

• Protect your online accounts by using strong passwords that differ between accounts or, where possible, using two-factor authentication.

• If you've made a payment which you suspect is fraudulent, inform your bank or payment service provider as soon as you can. Monitor your bank statements for any unusual activity.