Children are being conned into giving their parents’ bank account details to fraudsters in a scam that involves the hugely popular video game Fortnite.

Action Fraud, which is run by the City of London Police, told the Daily Telegraph it has received a number of reports of fraudulent charges being made on parents' cards as a result of the scams.

Criminals target children on social media sites and YouTube with adverts claiming to offer free "V-bucks", a currency used to buy extras like character outfits. After clicking the link, victims can be asked questions about their account, which the perpetrator uses to log in, and steal credit or debit card details that are stored there.

An Action Fraud spokesperson said: “When downloading or purchasing game add-ons only ever use the official websites.

"Never be tempted to click on links to unknown sites and most importantly never reveal your password or account details.

“It is important that parents make their children aware of the threat of fraud online and warn them that fraudsters will do anything they can to gain access to personal and financial details which may be held online as part of a gamers account.”