Consumer news and scams

[Bri Roberts]

We have had a series of telephone callls inviting us to renew our service contract on an item of kitchen equipment which has expired.

As soon as we ask them to remind us of the make and model, it quickly ends the telephone call.

[Nemesis]

Turning the questions back at these people always does the trick.

[DVT]

For the past number of months I was getting calls almost every week, both on landline and mobile, always showing a different number - saying my service contract needed renewing for our washing machine.  When I asked who they were they usually said Hotpoint, our machine was a Hotpoint.  I asked them how old the machine was and they usually said 5 years so need to renew contract.

The machine was, in fact, 15 years old - made in Bodelwyddan when Hotpoint were quality.  I worked there back then!

It has recently been scrapped, the bearings were too noisy, the drum shook wildly and the pump was blocked - now replaced by a Samsung (made in Poland!)

Strangely, not had a call since changing machines about a month ago.

[Hugo]

I had a phone call on my landline last week and the man was selling a Call Blocker  He said the call  blocker would stop the scam calls coming in from foreigners living abroad.
I told the man who incidently had a very heavy south Asian accent that I wasn't interested and just hung up on him

I do have a call blocker but never use it.    The blocker did work but it also blocked all the calls not just the unwanted ones so I never use it now

[DVT]

Had a call this morning (01782 code which is Stoke-on-Trent) from a guy saying I was being given free 10 lotto tickets for next Wednesday (17th).  He asked if I had been sucecssful on Lotto, to which I said that I have held same numbers since it started and a total winning of about ?300 plus some freebies.  Said he hoped I would be luckier with the free tickets.

I asked how I would get to know the numbers and he said by post to my address, which he knew.

He then went on to ask if I was interested in a "special deal" in the near future.  I said I did not do any deals over the phone and he hung up.

Have checked "who called me" and the number has had a huge number of checks in past few days.  Comments say he asks for bank details, but he didn't get that far with me.

I suspect I won't be receiving the free tickets!

[SteveH]

POLICE have warned residents to take care when using social media amid a growing number of reports of scam messages in North Wales.

Earlier today (August 17), a reader contacted the Journal saying they had encountered two such posts on Rhyl-based Facebook groups, both regarding missing people.

The reader said: ?I messaged one of the people doing this (scam) to tell them I thought what they were doing was awful.

?I was immediately messaged by them saying that their elderly mother was sick, and could I send 300 US dollars to pay for her care.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/20668605.residents-warned-awful-scam-messages-circulating-social-media/

[Ian]

Several new scams have emerged:

1. New phishing emails impersonating the well-known electrical retailer Currys offer you the chance to win a free Smeg kettle. The email contains a dodgy link leading to a website where you?re asked to complete a survey about your shopping habits and pay a delivery fee to receive the ?free? kettle. More details here.

2. Reports have spiked in recent weeks of people receiving emails threatening to expose personal information about them if money isn't transferred. Scammers typically claim they?ve hacked your device and then detail your personal information, such as your usernames and passwords, threatening to expose your data unless you transfer money to them.

If you receive an email like this, don?t panic. That?s exactly what the scammers want and it?s likely nothing will come of it. But here's what you can do if you receive one and how to check if your email address or password has been compromised.

3.  With tomorrow?s energy price cap announcement, please be cautious of any energy emails appearing in your inbox. More details here.

[Hugo]

My wife's elderly Aunt had a phone call today, allegedly from the Leicester Police Force.    The person said that they had a woman in custody who had the Aunt's debit card and the suspect claimed to be the Aunt's carer.
When the Aunt replied that she has never had a carer the "Police Officer" said that he would give his details to the Aunt.   When she replied that she was not interested and suspected a scam, the alleged officer just hung up on her

I don't know what the scam would have been but the Aunt did the correct thing at the time.

[Hugo]

On an unrelated matter, I had a discussion with someone I see now and again.     He had had a letter from a firm in Leeds saying that he was due to have a tax refund from HMRC.       the tax refund was due to the transfer of allowances from his wife.
The thing is that the agent in Leeds is not my friend's agent and he has not given the agent authority to act on his behalf.  The situation now is that the matter has been referred to the Police and to HMRC

To add insult to the scam, the agent claimed that the net refund would be over 900.00 pounds and my friend would receive just over 300.00 pounds and the balance  left would be to cover the agent's fees

Transferring part of a married couple's or Civil partnership tax allowance can save about 300.00  pounds per year but you don't need an agent for that as it is easy to do online yourself

[DVT]

Another one ... loft insulation.  Just had a call from a Rhyl number (01745 507583) - young lady asking if we'd had the free loft insulation some years ago.  Also was I under 85 years old (cheek!).  Said that the insulation did not meet current standards and there were a team of surveyors in the area to check.

Told her I wasn't interested - she offered to give me their website for me to check - I hung up.  Checked on "Who called me" and it had negative rating and a couple of comments.  Telephone number operated by Magrathea Telecommunications Limited, whoever they are.

[Ian]

"Magrathea" was the mythical planet from Hitch Hiker's Guide. It housed the Custom Planet Company, who?for a very large fee?would design and make a planet to your exact specifications.

[SteveH]

During a cost of living crisis criminals unfortunately thrive, seizing any opportunity to exploit people's hardships and vulnerable situation that might make them more liable to make innocent mistakes. According to Vouchers.co.uk findings, people across the country could be at risk of losing around ?1,000 in a new mobile phone scam.

O2?s customer service forum found that many customers received phone calls from scammers in August, claiming to offer a 40% discount. One customer from Ireland fell victim when they answered the call, the conniving scammer offered the discount and said he needed to verify her identity in order to apply the discount.

He claimed O2 would send a security code which she would need to repeat, but little did the victim know that this code would be from the real O2 and would be the security code the scammer needed to access her account.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/cost-living-mobile-phone-warning-25005428

[SteveH]

Consumers buying second-hand cars online are being warned to beware of scams, after a rise in cases of fraud.

It comes after a BBC investigation exposed a fake car dealership website called Auto-Promotions that defrauded victims out of thousands of pounds.

There were almost 3,000 reports of online vehicle fraud in 2021, a rise of 21% on 2019, Action Fraud suggests.

Meanwhile, consumer groups warn the scam could be repeated as more people look for a bargain online.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63047193

[SteveH]

Just in case it reaches Conwy.........

Trading standards in Flintshire have had reports of scammers claiming to be from the county's council tax team. A council spokesperson said: "The caller asked for the resident?s bank details to be able to refund the overpayment.

"If you receive such a call put the phone down immediately, IT IS A SCAM. If you have any concerns about your Council Tax, please call the Council

If you get a scam text or email, you should ignore it and avoid clicking on any links that they contain. If you answer a phone call and you suspect that it is a scam, hang up immediately.

If you have responded to a text, email or phone call that you think may be a scam, the first thing that you should do is stop all further communication immediately.

After this you should contact your bank and cancel any recurring payments that you have.

Once you've done this, you can report the scam to the police through the Action Fraud line, which can be reached on 0300 123 2040. You can also report a scam anonymously on the Action Fraud

[SteveH]

DWP issues warning over ?1,500 Universal Credit loophole scam as household bills rise
Criminals are exploiting the cost-of-living crisis in order to dupe unsuspecting Brits

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has warned households about several different scams that fraudsters are currently using to exploit the social security system amid the cost of living crisis. There has been a rise in scams as people try and take advantage of the economic climate.

Pressures are growing on household budgets and winter energy bills are expected to snowball for many and some are attempting to exploit a Universal Credit cash boost loophole. In the midst of the chaos, criminals see the disarray as a perfect time to exploit vulnerable Brits.

Back in June 2021, the DWP warned about different scams involving National Insurance numbers that were sweeping across the country at the time, resulting in tens of thousands of incidents being reported to Action Fraud, the UK?s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. The DWP were forced to send out a reminder to people explaining that they never use an automated call system to contact customers - and if you receive such a call, it?s probably a scam.

Scams have also seen people able to secure advanced payments of up to ?1,500 through 'Job Centre staff' or 'personal loan advisors'. This can be done up to three times. A glitch in the application process means some can receive several of these DWP loans, despite not being entitled to the money.

Fraudsters, posing as reputable staff, will approach claimants who were looking for extra cash. As payment, the scammers took ?500 from every ?1,500 secured and then a wave of false claims for advance payments were issued.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/dwp-issues-warning-over-1500-25375883