Author Topic: Consumer news and scams  (Read 228000 times)

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Offline SteveH

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #480 on: June 13, 2019, 01:20:46 pm »
I am looking into changing my energy supplier, after receiving a leaflet from Octupus energy, https://octopus.energy/  a Which magazine recommended company, this company is offering very good deals, much better than we are on at the moment.

Would be grateful for any information, good or bad...............  Ta.

Offline Dave

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #481 on: June 18, 2019, 08:33:54 pm »
I have a caravan for sale and got a sales enquiry asking if it was still for sale. I replied yes it was and got the following reply.

Thank you for the Response,I am okay with the condition Likewise your
asking price is quite reasonable and affordable considering others
I've seen lately , I'll have it for the  price . I'm interested and
consider it sold as seen am buying it as a surprise Birthday gift for
my son. Are you assuring me i will not be disappointed? I work with
the Military and presently in camp serving the nation which is
strictly no calls. My Mode of payment is PayPal because i don't have
access to my bank account online cause am out of town on job duties,
but i have it attached to my PayPal account. Since I'm requesting this
transaction to be done via PayPal, I will be responsible for all the
PayPal fees/charges on this transaction, if you don't have an account
with PayPal, it's pretty easy, safe an secure to open one. Just log on
to www.paypal.co.uk . I hope we can complete this transaction as soon
as possible. Less I forgot,I wll not be able to view due to nature of
job but I have a Mover that will come for pickup once payment is
cleared in your PayPal account and they will be handling the title for
me. I look forward to hearing from you with your PayPal information as
requested below.

Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Firm Price:
Address for Pick Up:
Phone Number:

Awaiting your response asap.

Thanks

I was a bit taken aback that someone might buy the van unseen but despite the mail sounding a bit dodgy I went ahead and gave him the details he asked for. I then wondered where the scam was if indeed there was one. I do want to sell the van!
Then it dawned on me.He was hoping I didn't have a Paypal account and would open one using the link he'd included in the email. After that who knows what it might have cost me when he went on a spending spree.


Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #482 on: June 19, 2019, 08:09:40 am »
That's been doing the rounds for a few years, now.  I thought I'd posted it in here but I can't find it.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Dave

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #483 on: June 19, 2019, 08:34:52 am »
That's been doing the rounds for a few years, now.  I thought I'd posted it in here but I can't find it.

I thought it was a reasonably good attempt at a scam and worth sharing the content of the reply he sent. Someone might get a similar themed message with different content but once again look out for the link!

Offline SteveH

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #484 on: June 19, 2019, 09:26:35 am »
That's been doing the rounds for a few years, now.  I thought I'd posted it in here but I can't find it.

I thought it was a reasonably good attempt at a scam and worth sharing the content of the reply he sent. Someone might get a similar themed message with different content but once again look out for the link!

I think it shows that sharing is good, and no harm in being reminded, and with that in mind....... A legal scam ?     recently we had to change our address for our TV licence, due to predictive searching, we hit a site, very similar to the real one, however at the end it asked for a service  charge payment of about £17 for the change, we paid it, but very quickly realised, you do not pay fees to change your details, surprisingly, after getting in touch with them, they refunded the fee, as we were not happy with their service, but it just shows that even the most cynical of us can be CONFUSED  :o                     

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #485 on: June 19, 2019, 10:26:27 am »
Indeed.  Google has a lot to answer for.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #486 on: June 20, 2019, 08:46:26 am »
There are very, very good reasons not to tell folk you're going away for a couple of weeks. In one horrendous case that's seeing a huge rise at the moment, a woman came home to find her house had been stolen.

In other cases insurers have started to check social networking sites and refuse payment for robbery incurred while you were away if you posted online that you were going. The current concerns centre around using that bastion of dubiousness - Facebook - and its other tentacles, Instagram and Whats app to mention but two.

It seems it's not even a good idea to post pictures from the airport, although sending them via iMessage on Macs seems fine, as iMessage is heavily encrypted and generally secure.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #487 on: June 20, 2019, 09:11:45 am »
Exclusive police data from Action Fraud, the main reporting body for scams in the UK, and Office for National Statistics (ONS) crime survey data reveals overall levels of fraud have soared by more than 12 per cent in a year but it is also a crime that is also massively under-reported.

While the crime survey shows there were more than 3.6 million cases of fraud in England and Wales in 2018, only 276,129 fraud and computer crime reports were made to Action Fraud in the 12 months to April 2019. That suggests fewer than 10 per cent of offences are being recorded by Action Fraud.

 London is the capital of online shopping and auction fraud – with 17 reports per 10,000 people, against a national average of 13. It also has the highest reported rate for ticket fraud (4.5 cases per 10,000 people against an average of 2.2) and investment scams (1.9 per 10,000 people against an average of 1.3).

Warwickshire has the highest reported rate for advance fee fraud, in which victims are asked to pay for goods or services that are never delivered – for example the ‘foreign prince’ who needs a small loan to help unlock untold riches or a fraudster posing as an estate agent who needs a deposit for a non-existent property. The rate of reports there is 15.8 per 10,000 people, against the national average of 11.9.

Dating scams, which typically see people duped into transferring money linked to a fake romance, is most reported in Sussex. The rate of 1.9 reports per 10,000 people is higher than the national average of 1.1.

People in Norfolk were most likely to report computer fixing fraud, with a reporting rate of 10.3 per 10,000 people, compared with the national average of just 5.9.

Of the reports made to Action Fraud in the past two years, nearly half (239,206) fell into four categories. Online shopping and auctions fraud is the biggest reported type of fraud with 86,127 cases. This was followed by advance fee fraud (78,686); computer fixing fraud (38,891); and cheque, plastic card and online bank fraud (35,502).

The analysis also reveals how different types of fraud are more likely to affect older or younger consumers – with 49 the average age for victims filing a report with Action Fraud over the last two years. Rental fraud – where prospective tenants are typically tricked into paying a deposit – was most likely to affect younger people, with 33 the average victim age. The average age of victims of both ticket fraud and online shopping or auction fraud was 37. Older consumers were more likely to be targeted by bogus investment schemes (average victim age 64) or fraud recovery fraud, where victims are tricked by criminals claiming they can help recover lost funds (average victim age 65).

The ONS’s Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimates that there were 3,648,000 cases of fraud in England and Wales in 2018 compared with 3,241,000 in 2017 – an increase of 12.6%.

On the surface, Wales (56 reports per 10,000 people) seems to be off the fraudsters’ radar: there were fewer Action Fraud reports per person in Wales than in all the English regions for the majority of the most common fraud categories. However, the ONS’s Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that fraud is more prevalent in Wales than in the North East and the North West. We believe this proves fraud is under-reported to a greater degree in Wales than elsewhere.

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Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline mondie

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #488 on: June 23, 2019, 12:22:11 am »
I am looking into changing my energy supplier, after receiving a leaflet from Octupus energy, https://octopus.energy/  a Which magazine recommended company, this company is offering very good deals, much better than we are on at the moment.

Would be grateful for any information, good or bad...............  Ta.

Octopus are highly recommended by me, Steve. Been with them for probably 18 mths and find their website easy to use and customer service spot on.

Offline SteveH

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #489 on: June 23, 2019, 09:46:40 am »
Many thanks Mondie, we are going to give them a try, they do have the best offer at the moment.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #490 on: June 23, 2019, 12:08:54 pm »
I've been looking around for another provider too so I'll look into this and thanks for the tip Mondie      $good$


I'm also looking around for another broadband and phone provider so any tips would be appreciated

Offline Robbie G

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #491 on: June 23, 2019, 06:31:50 pm »
Hugo
Try Avro Energy and for your broadband and phone Direct Save Telecom ,they both seem to have good deals .

Offline SteveH

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #492 on: June 24, 2019, 03:08:26 pm »
Hugo,  Re. Octupus energy, can you PM  me please.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #493 on: June 24, 2019, 04:15:55 pm »
Thanks very much for your feedback Robbie and Steve and I'll follow them up

Steve, I've just sent you a PM

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #494 on: June 27, 2019, 03:25:26 pm »
I've now changed my energy supplier so thanks very much Mondie and Steve for the tip

I'm now going to change my broadband and phone supplier from BT   as I feel that I'm getting mugged every month and have been looking around for something better and have come across a firm called Now Broadband
It is offering Broadband with a speed of 11mb and unlimited downloads and costs £18.00 per month.   with a set up of £24.99
It also offers free anytime phone calls included

Does anyone know anything about this company as the price seems too good to be true ( it's nearly a quarter of what I'm paying to Bt )
Any information would be appreciated