OF INTEREST SCAM NEWS 2021 YES BORING I KNOW BUT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO SOMEONE. PART 1
RE THE MENTOR
Fake police calls1. Delivery scams
With online deliveries sky-rocketing during the pandemic, scammers have been quick to profit on the trend.
Hermes unpaid fees scam: millions have received text messages pretending to be from Hermes, DHL, Royal Mail and other delivery firms demanding a delivery fee. The scam works by sending a text with a link telling you that you need to pay a £1.99 or £2.99 fee to claim your delivery item. The link takes you to a fake site, where you will be asked to enter your personal information and bank details.
You might also receive a Royal Mail customs scam email telling you that your package could not be delivered due to no custom duty being paid.
Once victims have entered their details, the fraudsters phone them up pretending to be from their bank. They usually try to convince them that their account has been compromised and to move their money into a “safe” account.
2. Health-related scams
The most shocking scams during the pandemic have involved taking advantage of people’s concerns about their health.
By March 2021 £34.5m had been taken in pandemic-related scams. This is likely to be the tip of the iceberg as we know many scams go unreported.
There are some of the health scams to watch out for too:
NHS Covid passport scam: Vaccine passports are available for free through the NHS app. This “passport” proves that you have had both doses of the vaccine. But criminals are targeting victims by selling fake vaccination passports.
Coronavirus vaccine appointment: Scam texts and emails are being sent out encouraging people to provide their bank details in order to book an appointment for their vaccine (which is free on the NHS).
Vaccination card identity theft: The sharing of vaccination selfies on social media has led to a spate of cases involving identity theft. Criminals are using the personal information on these documents to create fake vaccination cards that are then sold on the black market.
NHS Covid alert text: Texts and emails pretending to be from the Test and Trace service are claiming the recipient has been in contact with someone diagnosed with the coronavirus. The intention of this scam – known as phishing – is to encourage you to click on a link that will take you to a fake website designed to steal your personal details or infect your device with malware.
Negative Covid test certificate: Criminal gangs have been taking advantage of the rule that visitors to the UK have had to show a negative Covid test on arrival. Forged certificates are being sold. The cost can be as little as £35, although there have been reports of fake Covid papers being sold for a lot more.
Fake hand sanitiser: Victims have been targeted with fake adverts for cheaper Covid-related products such as hand sanitiser and face masks that do not exist or are not what they purport to be. Some items sold on eBay contained 37% of the highly toxic banned substance methanol. It also did not even contain enough ethanol to be effective against Covid.
3. Covid-19 financial-support scams
Since the start of the pandemic, the government has unveiled a number of financial help schemes, grants and loans to help keep the economy afloat during the crisis.
Criminals have been exploiting the confusion around eligibility and people’s concerns about their jobs and their finances.
In October the government launched the new Covid Fraud Hotline (0800 587 5030) so that people could report scammers who are illegally targeting coronavirus support schemes.
These are some examples:
Posing as government departments
Fraudsters pose as government departments, sending fake emails designed to look like official government correspondence and offering grants of up to £7,500.
There are links contained within the emails that are designed to steal personal and financial information from victims.
Covid relief funds
Emails for “Covid-19 relief funds” have also been sent out by fraudsters as well as through social media platforms such as Facebook.
These encourage victims to fill in a form with their personal information and card details claiming they will receive a sum of money from the government.
4. Pension scams
More than £78m was lost by victims of investment and pension scams in 2020. This involves fraudsters pretending to be genuine investment firms in order to steal people’s money.
Pension fraud has increased markedly since pension freedoms were introduced in 2015, allowing anyone over the age of 55 to have access to their retirement funds.
The Financial Conduct Authority’s supervision team opened 24% more pension-scam cases last year.
Below are two of the most common types of pension-freedom fraud:
Bogus investment opportunities
Scammers bombard those aged 55 and over with bogus investment opportunities to try to get hold of their pension savings.
Some schemes promise high returns, which is particularly appealing at a time of low-interest rates. Victims are pressured with “time-limited” deals.
Pension liberation scams
These often target the financially vulnerable, perhaps those who have lost their jobs. They promise them access to their pension pot before the age of 55, with no charges for early access.
It is only in extreme cases where you can access your pension before the age of 55, otherwise, you could pay out huge sums to the taxman.
Find out more in our pensions guide.
5. Home buying fraud
This is not a new fraud, but one that is taking advantage of the measures introduced to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
This is how it works:
Criminals hack into the email exchange between a solicitor and their client
This enables them to alter the law firm’s bank account details to their own when the money for the house purchase is ready to be transferred
The home buyer will receive an email purporting to be from the law firm and telling them that the account details have changed or their account is being “audited” and so another must be used instead.
Once the money hits their account, the fraudsters withdraw it and the banks can’t trace it.
6. Dating scams
Lockdown measures and other coronavirus restrictions have proved particularly difficult for those who live alone. Fraudsters have increasingly been exploiting those looking for love online.
How this scam works:
Fraudsters create fake dating profiles on social media platforms. Often the perpetrators will steal the identities of real people to strike up relationships with their targets
Over time they will gain their trust and convince the victim they are in a relationship
They will then manipulate victims into handing over their money
7. Lockdown TV scams
One of the big winners of the lockdown restrictions has been TV, including subscription services. Alongside the rise in viewing figures has come an increase in scams:
Free TV licence scam – Fake texts or emails are sent by criminals claiming to be from TV Licensing and offering six months of TV licence free because of the pandemic.
TV Licence direct debit scam – Victims are also being told there has been a problem with their direct debit and they need to click on a link to rectify the issue. Instead, they are taken to a fake website that will steal personal and financial information. The DVLA has also been used in this way.
TV subscription service scam – Customers of TV subscription services like Netflix or Amazon Prime have been sent emails asking them to update their payment details by clicking on a link, which is then used to steal their credit card details.
YouTube premium email scam – If you have a channel on YouTube with a number of subscribers, a number of fake YouTube premium scam messages are being reported saying that the service is “evaluating your request for monetizing your channel.”
8. Social media scams
Social media has been a lifeline for many people who have been unable to see friends and family during the pandemic, but it is also a hotbed of criminal activity:
Social media websites are being used by criminals to advertise bogus investment opportunities
Emails and adverts on social media platforms are used to encourage victims to put money into fake investment companies using fake websites
Here are a few doing the rounds at the moment:
The Toby Carvery Facebook scam – the restaurant chain has warned that fraudsters are using fake Facebook pages to encourage victims to enter their personal details to sign up to vouchers.
The Morrisons food box scam – involves claims that everyone who likes or shares a Facebook post will get free food and a voucher.
Wetherspoons facebook scam – again, free food vouchers for the pub chain are being offered in exchange for users who comment on posts. Watch out for the Wetherspoons scam on facebook or any other social media, which are clearly the work of fraudsters as the chain closed down all of its social media accounts in 2018.
9. Boiler room scams
This is one of the most common types of an investment scam.
This is how it works:
Investors get a phone call out of the blue
They are offered a fake investment opportunity with grand promises of impressive returns
Criminals will use pressure tactics, telling you to act fast and transfer your money straight away or you will miss out on the deal.
The Financial Conduct Authority says it is common for victims to part with tens of thousands of pounds.
10. Travel scams
With the disruption caused to holidays as a result of the pandemic, a number of travel- related scams have cropped up .
Jet2 scam warning – the airline has issued an ‘urgent customer notice’ on its official Twitter account about customers being advised to contact @jet2helps.com (and/or similar) to discuss bookings and queries.
“These accounts are NOT affiliated to us, so please DO NOT give personal information to them. The only official account for
http://Jet2.com and Jet2holidays on Twitter is @jet2tweets which is a verified ‘blue tick’ account.”
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How do bank frauds happen?
Here are some common methods fraudsters use:
The most common way is for victims to be contacted via email (phishing) or text message (smishing). In the email or text, there is often a link to click through to a scam website, which can take your personal and financial details.
Fraudsters phone people pretending to be from their bank, often saying their account has been compromised to trick them into moving your money into a “safe account”
Remote-purchase fraud is where your card details are stolen, perhaps through an unsolicited email or malware that has infected your device. This information is used to buy goods or services
Another scam involves criminals using actual cards that are lost or stolen to make a purchase or withdrawal from a cash machine. Sometimes the scammers use “shoulder surfing” to spy on a person’s pin number.
Counterfeit card fraud occurs when criminals make an illegal copy of your card – particularly, the magnetic strip – in order to create a fake one, which is then used in places where chip and pin aren’t available.
Card ID theft is when personal details are stolen in order to open a new account in the victim’s name (application fraud), or when a criminal takes over an existing account. Criminals can also intercept new or replacement cards before you receive them.
What should I do if I’m a victim of fraud?
The first thing to do if you are, or think you have been, the victim of financial fraud is to:
Contact your bank or building society as soon as possible. They may cancel your existing card and issue a replacement. Many banks have apps or an online process that allows you to cancel your card yourself – do it! The faster you act, the more they are able to do to get your money back
Report the issue to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040
Will my bank refund stolen money?
If your bank thinks you may have acted negligently, that might prevent you from getting your money back.
If this is not the case, your bank should refund any money stolen from you as a result of fraud or identity theft that is not your fault.
If your bank or credit card provider won’t refund your money, then first you can make a complaint to them;
If that is unsuccessful, you can complain online to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Top tips to help you beat the scammers
Trust your gut. If an offer, deal, investment or potential partner sounds too good to be true, it probably is
Take your time. Don’t automatically click on a link. If it is about investments, insist on time to get independent or legal advice before making a decision – a legitimate company won’t pressurise you.
Always log onto a website directly rather than by clicking on links in an email, and make sure the website is secure.
Keep your wallet shut. Don’t hand over cash or sign anything until you have found solid, independent evidence of a company’s success for yourself.
Never send money to anyone you don’t know or trust, or use a method of payment that you’re not comfortable with.
Protect your personal information. Never give banking or personal details to anyone you don’t know or trust.
Be password smart. Don’t pick your birthday or phone number as a password for anything; make sure it is something strong that scammers can’t guess. Don’t use the same password for different sites and change them regularly.
Finally, if you spot a scam or have been scammed, don’t bury your head in the sand.
These are criminals who use sophisticated methods to prey on people’s vulnerabilities in order to steal their money. Reporting it makes it more difficult for them to scam other people.
Watch out for fake calls (from a withheld number) by someone who says they're a police officer, giving a name, police station and police ID, and claiming that you have been a victim or serious fraud on your bank account. This has happened to a couple of the people we support in Barnet. One client was told by the fake police caller that they had arrested someone who had been using her bank card. He said that he didn't want any card details but would put her on to a 'secure line' to her bank when she could give them the information they needed. He also gave her the name of the person they had in custody asking if she knew him or whether there was anyone iin the household who knew him. This was a way of finding out about who she lived with.
Luckily our client became suspicious at the mention of 'secure line' and hung up!
Never give out your bank details, pin or transfer money.
These callers have no connection with the police. The police or your bank will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, password, or to transfer money to another account to keep it safe.
Anyone who has given out their personal information to a caller they now think was a fraudster should contact their bank immediately.
To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040
Fake Aviva letters
One of our clients has received a convincing letter, on headed paper, from Aviva, with whom she has a policy, which made it more believable. She was asked to call the number shown to identify herself as they had information about her products with them. They also said that they wanted to check any other existing addresses she may have. Luckily, she went online and checked out the 0800 number first which she then found out was linked to a scam. Always check out phone numbers independently, and do not pass on any personal or bank details on the spot. Please report any suspicious contact which appears to be from Aviva to their Fraud Hub. Click here for the link which also has plenty of tips to help protect yourself from fraud.
Email scam
This is a group email sent to you and your contacts. It will say something along the lines of: 'Where are you presently? I need your help for something very urgent so please get back to me via email as soon as you get this message.' DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL It is a scam, a request for money for someone getting through the coronavirus
Green Homes Grant scam
From September 2020, homeowners will be able to apply for vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy efficient home improvements - beware of letters or cold calls from someone claiming to be able to help you with the new government grant. To get the voucher, you'll need to complete an online application for a recommended home improvement, get a quote from a listed supplier and have the quote approved. This new scheme fits in with a popular scam where consumers are contacted by phone and mail to explain that they can help consumers with applying for a grant, find suppliers and get the work done for them for a fee. Once the fee has been paid, no work is ever carried out and the money is gone!
Report any letters or calls to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or send the letter to Freepost, NTSST, Mail Marshals
Romance Fraud
Action Fraud has seen a significant increase in romance fraud this year as the coronavirus outbreak has led to more people trying to find love online. In these scams, a criminal creates a fake profile on an online dating or social media platform and targets individuals in an attempt to gain their trust. This eventually leads to requests of money for investments, legal fees, travel or a new project, for instance. Early requests for money and a reluctance to talk about their work or life may be red flags. If you experience anything suspicious, please talk to someone you trust for help. If you think you've been scammed, report it straight to your bank and Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
Pension pot scams
Criminals are continuing to target pension posts throughout the coronavirus outbreak.
* Be wary of free pension review offers. If you are contacted out of the blue about your pension, it's likely to be a scam
* Check the FCA's Financial Services Register to make sure that anyone offering you advice or other financial services is authorised by the FCA. And only use the details provided on the FCA Register - not details a firm gives you, in case they are pretending to be an FCA authorised firm.
TV licence scams
Fraudsters may look to exploit confusion around the licence fee change by contacting older people and asking them to “pay” for their new licence.
No one will be expected to pay for a new licence until they have been contacted by a letter from TV Licensing and either claimed a free licence or agreed a payment plan. The BBC expects to start sending letters in August but the date has not been confirmed.
For now, ignore any emails, letters, calls or doorstop visits you receive asking you to pay for a TV licence as they may be a scam.
According to RBS, fraud is now the most commonly experienced crime in the UK. Both RBS and Bank of Scotland say that scammers are increasingly contacting customers directly via phone (vishing), email (phishing), text or even social media trying to persuade them to divulge personal details.
Common scams include urging people to transfer money to a "safe account", asking customers to do a "test transaction", impersonating the police, or asking customers to download software to their computer.
They advise customers never to give personal details on the phone, including information on a computer screen or agree to transfer money to another account. If someone calls unexpectedly, customers should hang up and call back a trusted number, ideally from another device or after waiting at least five minutes to ensure a fraudster is no longer on the line.
INTERESTING EXPERIENCE
Peter Morrison, 81, a retired headteacher from Bearsden, almost fell victim to “extremely convincing” scammers posing as Bank of Scotland staff.
He received a call earlier this month (JUNE 2020) from a woman claiming to be from his bank, alerting him to fraudulent transactions. He was taken in by the scammers “spoofing” the number displayed on his caller ID.
He said: “I told her that the bank doesn’t phone its customers but she told me the call was absolutely genuine. I was told to check the phone number on our Bank of Scotland debit cards, and sure enough it was the same.
“A very pleasant person, who called herself Karoline – spelled with a “K” – Hubbard told us that two attempts had been made to withdraw money from our account. She told me the exact sums of money down to the pounds and pence.
“After a while, she put me on hold, then transferred me to “Simon McCabe”, their “Manager of Fraud Prevention”, who was also absolutely delightful and explained that we were a priority.
“He then switched us back to ‘Karoline’, who issued us with a new sort code and account number to which our money was to be transferred.”
At this point, Mr Morrison began to have some misgivings about the call and decided to phone his bank to check. After explaining the situation, he was told that the “new sort code” was not a Bank of Scotland one and he had narrowly avoided being scammed. They quickly stopped his cards and froze the account.
He said: “Fortunately we had a lucky escape and no money was withdrawn. But my wife and I found the experience quite distressing and it has been inconvenient having to wait for new bank cards.
“The callers were extremely convincing, and we want to warn others who might be taken in by this scam. Who wouldn’t be deceived when the bank’s number is actually on the screen of their phone?”
This is what the Independent had to say
One in three Britons has fallen victim to a scam, with millions handing over personal information which has cost them financially.
A poll of 2,000 adults revealed 30 per cent have been tricked by a text, email or social media message pretending to be from a legitimate person or company.
And while some simply clicked on fraudulent links, one in eight went as far as handing over details, such as bank account information, to criminals.
Of those, 74 per cent ended up out of pocket financially, to the tune of nearly £600 on average.
Overall, 80 per cent of adults have received a suspicious text, email or social media message.
And 79 per cent feel these scams have become more convincing than ever, leaving two thirds fearing for their older relatives falling for them.
Rob Hallett, an advisory board member at secure messaging platform LetterBox, which commissioned the poll, said: “It’s clear that scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and catching even the savviest users out, potentially handing over details that could cost them heavily.
“The problem lies in the fact there’s no need to verify yourself, so generally, anyone can contact anyone else freely – meaning those with dishonest motives can creatively contact you in the hope you’ll hand them sensitive data in good faith without a second thought.
“This research highlights the many reasons we felt compelled to create a service that helps protect users.”
The poll found more than half have found themselves unable to tell the difference between a scam and a legitimate request for information, whether it be by social media or a text.
A third have seen an older family member scammed, with 29 per cent no longer feeling secure using personal information on their mobile phone.
The most common scams encountered included messages regarding Royal Mail deliveries, winning prizes and random suspicious links.
Bank account notices expired details and incorrect payment login notifications have also been received.
And it’s not just older generations falling for the stings, with 23-year-old Kirpa Longani from London losing £600 in the blink of an eye.
Kirpa said: “I received a text message saying that they have randomly picked winners who bank with Natwest.
“The text message prompted me to share the card details so they could put money into my account.
“After a while, I received a text message saying the purchase has been successful - so I lost £600 in a single transaction.”
The majority don’t think enough is done to deal with such scams by the government or the companies that make it possible such as phone providers or social media platforms.
Confidence has seemingly reached rock bottom on social media with less than one in 10 adults feeling safe – with 58 per cent believing accounts should be tied to genuine names and information.
Facebook was overwhelmingly the top social channel UK adults trust the least.
How easy it is to be contacted by strangers, how frequent scams seem to be and a lack of understanding of how their details are used were the main reasons for distrust, while some worry about how their data is collected.
Rob Hallett, from the new messaging service LetterBox, added: “We’ve created our new service in an attempt to combat this ever-increasing digital pandemic.
“Users are required to verify themselves in order to use the platform, so you know you’ll only be talking to a genuine person or business with confidence.
“We’re determined to restore confidence to users in a time where many are losing faith with big corporations mining details and letting people freely scam them without any policing.”
A school teacher was conned out of her savings by a bitcoin scam that promised Elon Musk would "double her investment".
Julie Bushnell plunged £9,000 into a fake scheme that claimed the billionaire entrepreneur was having a Bitcoin "giveaway".
The scam was hosted on a website made to look like BBC News with an article claiming Tesla, Mr Musk's company, had bought $1.5bn worth of bitcoin and was planning to give away half the sum.
Ms Bushnell, a cryptocurrency investor from Hampshire, had been setting her money aside for a house but opted to deposit it through a link on the website on the promise she would get double the amount back.
As it became clear the reciprocal payment would never arrive, she realised she had fallen victim to a scam.
1. Delivery scams
With online deliveries sky-rocketing during the pandemic, scammers have been quick to profit on the trend.
Hermes unpaid fees scam: millions have received text messages pretending to be from Hermes, DHL, Royal Mail and other delivery firms demanding an delivery fee. The scam works by sending a text with a link telling you that you need to pay a £1.99 or £2.99 fee to claim your delivery item. The link takes you to a fake site, where you will be asked to enter your personal information and bank details.
You might also receive a Royal Mail customs scam email telling you that your package could not be