Consumer news and scams

[Ian]

If you encounter a scam, and realise it is such, you can report it here.

[SteveH]

Police will text 70,000 people to warn them they have been victims of a banking scam in the UK's biggest anti-fraud operation.

The Metropolitan Police have arrested an east London man accused of running an international service enabling fake phone calls to victims.

Victims lost thousands of pounds, and in one case ?3m.

Detectives only have their phone numbers and are asking people to act if they receive the message.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described the investigation as the biggest proactive counter-fraud investigation ever in the UK.

He said the criminals involved were responsible for the "industrialisation of fraud".

Detectives revealed that there could be 200,000 UK victims of the scams, which usually involved fraudsters calling, pretending to be a bank, warning a customer of alleged suspicious activity on their account.

How will people know the text is genuine?
During the investigation, police obtained the numbers of victims but not their names and addresses.

They will send a mass text message to 70,000 numbers asking people to go to the Action Fraud website to register their details.

Detectives are aware of the risks of using a text message to contact victims of fraud who may have been targeted through their mobile phones.

They said the message from the police would only have links to the Action Fraud site, and would only be sent on 24 and 25 November. Any other texts should be regarded as fraudulent themselves.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63736573

[SteveH]

Spoofing, where fraudsters impersonate legitimate companies, is a common tactic used to deceive victims.

Scammers forge the name or number that comes up on an email, phone call or text so it appears to match that of a genuine firm.

Consumer group Which has warned customers at a number of banks that they are susceptible to the scam.

To test how effective banks were at protecting their customers, Which? made calls to a test phone, spoofing the prominent numbers of 14 current account providers.

Firms? numbers were chosen if they were the ones printed on the back of debit cards or listed as fraud helplines on their websites.

They said that at least one phone number from HSBC, Lloyds Bank, Santander, TSB, Nationwide Building Society and Virgin Money was successfully spoofed.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23158872.lloyds-tsb-santander-hsbc-customers-warned-banking-scam/

[SteveH]

Amazon issues Christmas scam warning and offers advice on how to prevent them
The online giant has taken the liberty of contacting customers directly over email about the increase in scams

Millions of people have been scammed all over the globe through various duplicitous means since the online service became increasingly popular. This has now forced the giant company to take action and contact customers directly over email in a bid to decrease the amount of potential victims.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/amazon-issues-christmas-scam-warning-25734430

[SteveH]

Six common winter scams - and how to spot them
We've listed all the advice you need on what scams to look out for and how to combat them

Scammers can target you at any time of the year but around Christmas a lot of fraudsters are working overtime in an effort to take advantage of people looking to spend money.

There are many ways to spot scammers but do you really know the signs to look out for when someone is trying to obtain your personal details or attempting to hack into your email? From door step scams to online shakedowns, fraudsters will try almost anything to get your money so being in the know of how to prevent it from happening is key.

Age UK has a series of steps you can take if you are targeted, as well as the tell-tale signs someone is looking to scam you and so we've taken a closer look at what you can do to protect yourself and stay safe.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/six-common-winter-scams-and-how-to-spot-them/

[SteveH]

Lots of advice about scammers, this morning, three articles to read..........

Warning to public over online fraud ahead of New Year
NORTH Wales residents have been urged to remain vigilant when it comes to potential fraud over the festive period.

Most people are online daily whether to shop, carry out online banking or to stay in touch with friends and family.

Although the internet is convenient and more accessible than ever, there are risks associated with its use.

As the sales start, and many people take advantage of special offers and deals online, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin and the Economic Crime Unit at North Wales Police have joined forces to call on the public to make a New Year?s resolution to protect themselves from internet-based fraud by following a few simple tips:...........
https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23214180.warning-public-online-fraud-ahead-new-year/


Consumers are being warned to out for new bank scams in 2023, with scammers looking to take advantage as many of us are on the lookout for a bargain.

Jenny Ross, Which Money editor, said: ?Scammers are relentless when it comes to wanting our personal information and ultimately our money.
And while their tactics will no doubt continue to evolve, we think these scams are the main ones to watch out for.

?Banks will never ask you for personal information, nor will they try to hurry you into making a decision. If this happens to you ? whether by text, email or over the phone, step back and think about what they?re asking. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is.?
More https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23214224.warn-5-money-scams-wary-2023/


And if you are not vigilant this could happen..........share this with older relatives


North Wales mum transferred 2,000 pounds after Whatsapp scammer pretended to be her daughter
Users are are falling victim to a fraud that's becoming increasingly common

A North Wales pensioner was conned out of almost ?2,000 in a Whatsapp scam that's claiming more and more victims. She fell for the cruel scam in which criminals use the popular messaging app to pose as a family member in need of money.

North Wales Police (NWP) is urging people to be on the look-out for a fraud which, on average, is costing victims around ?2,500 each. WhatsApp recommends that people should ask for a voice note or a call-back if they receive a message they think is suspicious.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-mum-transferred-2000-25839099

[SteveH]

MEMBERS of the public have been urged to take extra care online after a recent email hacking scam.

The warning came from North Wales Police's Cyber Crime Team this week.

A spokesman said: "A member of the public?s e-mail account was recently hacked.

"The hacker then sent all their contacts the below message asking them to purchase hundreds of pounds worth of gift cards on their behalf and further requesting that they send them the redemption codes.

"You will notice that the message uses social engineering by mentioning that the gift cards are for a friend who is seriously ill.

"If anyone asks you to purchase gift cards on their behalf or to send them gift cards for any reason, consider that it could be a scam. Speak to the person face to face or over the phone to ensure that the request is genuine before sending anything.

If you suspect that any of your online accounts have been hacked, you should:

Change your password immediately to secure your account
Ensure that your password is as long as possible as the secret to a strong password is having a long password. A simple way of ensuring this is by joining three random words together to create a password that will be very difficult to hack. Adding symbols and numbers to the three random word password will make it even stronger.
The police spokesman added: "We also encourage everyone to turn on 2-Step Verification (2SV) on accounts as this adds an additional layer of security to your accounts.

"With 2-Step Verification turned on, even if a Cyber Criminal has your password, they still won?t be able to access your accounts as they won?t have the additional code that?s needed to access the account."

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23229765.email-hacking-scam-leads-safety-warning-public/

[DVT]

... another scam?

... received this e-mail earlier today - I don't have an electric vehicle but I know some of you on here do have, so be warned.

[SteveH]

The scams targeting young adults you need to know about
Young people are more vulnerable to scams because of the cost-of-living crisis

Fraudsters can target anyone, of any age, but there are some scams where younger adults may be particularly at risk. Sharon Davies, CEO of education charity Young Enterprise (young-enterprise.org.uk), says: ?The combined effect of a cost-of-living crisis, Covid fall-out and increased social media use, leaves young people vulnerable to online scams.?

Bogus ?get-rich-quick? schemes may involve cryptocurrencies and come with fake celebrity endorsements. Davies adds: ?One common scam is fake brand collaboration requests, from people who appear to be working on behalf of labels offering paid work.?

Read more https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/scams-targeting-young-adults-you-26309613?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

HSBC, Santander, Natwest and Barclays fraud warning issued to banking customers
'Currently, there are an abundance of phishing scams circling looking to steal bank details and other personal information'

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/hsbc-santander-natwest-barclays-fraud-26427099

[Hugo]

Yesterday I was oerdering some plants on line from a company I had dealt with before and put in all my details including the bank details and I then pressed the buy button but the next page was blank with the following wording  " Your card has been locked to protect against unauthorised use and to phone 03450511348
Without thinking I phoned and the speaker said that he was from my bank and asked me for bank details and some security ones to.   I failed one question because I was unaware of a small food purchase made by Mrs H so the phone call had to end there.
Early this morning I had a thought and then put the Tel No 03450511348 in to my laptop and was quite shaken to see this message
03450 511 348 : Do not call this number it is a scam - call your bank direct instead using the phone number on back of your payment card and cancel the card.
It was a couple of tense hours before I could see the bank and as luck would have it my account was not hacked.    If it happens again I'll phone one of the numbers that appears on my card instead
I have also advised the company of what happened when I was trying to buy something from them just in case they were unaware of what was going on

[SteveH]

Phew ! !  Glad all OK, we think we are being careful, but still easy to get caught out........... heres another one

NatWest warns customers over new email scam designed to drain bank accounts
Customers are advised to be cautious and vigilant when receiving emails, especially those that require them to share personal information

The bank is urging its customers to be cautious and vigilant when receiving emails, especially those that require them to take immediate action. The scam works by sending an email that appears to be from NatWest, informing the recipient that the mobile linked to their online account has been changed, and saying a one-time passcode has been sent to their old number.

It goes on to ask you to click on a link to cancel the request. If you click on this link, it takes you to a webpage that looks just like the NatWest online banking site.

However, the URL comprises a sequence of arbitrary words instead of a legitimate NatWest domain. It is crucial not to disclose any personal information on this webpage as fraudsters can exploit it to gain entry into your bank account and quickly drain the account of all its funds.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/natwest-warns-customers-over-new-email-scam/

[SteveH]

Criminals are getting smarter at targeting victims to gain access to banking apps on mobile phones, a senior UK fraud officer has said.

Detective Superintendent John Roch says the technology behind the apps is secure but criminals are getting better at exploiting human behaviour.

Thieves typically "shoulder surf" victims to catch them entering their PIN before stealing the phone.

The financial impact of the crime can be enormous.

"It's only a phone... but if you take that out without the right precautions and protections around it you are essentially walking around with a bag of cash," says Detective Superintendent Roch, who is head of economic crime at the Metropolitan Police in London.

"If you start to think of it like that, would you walk into a bar, put it down and turn your back on it? Probably not."

Detective Superintendent Roch says it is impossible to know how many victims there are, but while he believes the scale of the crime might be small the impact of it could be huge.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65456325

[SteveH]

From fake landlords to holiday homes fraud, property scams you should watch out for - and how to avoid them
When it comes to property transactions, deceit lurks in various forms, with conveyancing fraud, fake buyers and sellers topping the list of common scams

When it comes to buying or renting a home, the excitement can sometimes blind us to the risks lurking in the shadows. Property scams are a harsh reality, with scammers preying on the hopes and dreams of unsuspecting individuals.

From conveyancing fraud to encountering fake buyers and landlords, the deception can take various forms. And these risks affect individuals across the board, regardless of whether they are first-time buyers, experienced investors, or individuals searching for a rental property.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/from-fake-sellers-to-friday-afternoon-fraud-the-scams-you-should-watch-out-for-when-buying-or-renting-a-home-and-how-to-avoid-them/

[SteveH]

Medical clinics are using fake Google reviews to boost their profiles online, a BBC investigation has found.

Consumer groups say fake reviews are a "significant and persistent problem" and have called on internet firms to do more to remove them and fine companies.

Which? has warned it could be a serious issue if someone chooses a treatment clinic based on reading a fake review.

The government said it was toughening the law to protect consumers, while Google said it removed fake reviews.

Fake reviews can be bought online and have been known to appear on Amazon, Trustpilot and the App Store.

One of the companies the BBC's investigation examined was the Ipswich Spine Clinic run by Dr Amit Patel.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66329833