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SCAMS ALERTLatest News and Updates

Xmas 2020

Charity Scams There are lots of charity scams happening at the moment. They can be postal mailings, emails, text messages and WhatsApp messages. Whatever the medium used, the goal is to persuade you to make a donation. The postal mailings are personally addressed to you, contain heart tugging pictures and stories, and ask you to either post off a cheque or make a donation by telephone or online using a debit or credit card.

How can I recognise the scams?

The communications look just like real mailings from genuine charities. To make sure the request is genuine, check the charity is genuine by looking it up on the Charity Commission’s online database. Check the postal address for a donation by cheque is the genuine address used by the charity. Also check the details for who to make a cheque payable to, as they should match the genuine charity’s real name exactly. If not, it is likely to be a scam. If the scammers get your card details, they are likely to attempt to empty your account or take as much as they can before the Bank’s systems stop them. By then it is too late.

There are warning signs. Poor spelling or grammar is a giveaway. Mail from overseas is very suspicious, so look at the envelope and any returned mail address. For electronic communications, check the address it came from. Real charities never use Hotmail, Gmail or similar addresses. Email from overseas addresses is rarely genuine. If the communication encourages you to click on any links, don’t. They will almost certainly either infect your device with malware to steal banking or card details, or take you to a cloned website, where you will be asked for banking or card details, so they can empty your accounts. If you do click on a link, run your virus checker afterwards to make sure your device is clean.

Test and Trace & Other ScamsA new telephone scam is coming to light. Callers contact residents saying they are from NHS Test & Trace, telling the resident that they have been in contact with someone suffering from Covid-19 and need to have a test sent out to them. This is swiftly followed with a request for the resident's bank details; the caller states that the test and results cost £500 or whatever amount they choose to tell you.

Please do not fall for this scam. If you need a test sent out to you because you are unable to attend a test site, this is done for free, both delivery and collection, followed up by the result.

Important! The NHS Test and Trace service will NOT ask:

For bank details or payments For details of any other

accounts, such as social media You to set up a password or PIN

number over the phone You to call a premium rate

number, such as those starting 09 or 087

Another popular scam at the moment is the Amazon Prime renewal

Amazon Prime Renewal (or any other product or service)

You receive a communication telling you a sum of money is about to be taken from your account for a renewal. The aim of the communication is to get to talk to you. They will try to get you to reveal personal information, bank details, card details, the 3 digit number on the back of your card, PINs and email addresses, enough for them to empty your account.

TV Licence Scams

Fraudsters are exploiting 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.

Ignore any emails, calls or doorstop visits you receive asking you to pay for a TV licence as they may be a scam. Action Fraud has received over 900 crime reports with victim losses totalling more than £830,000.

Royal Mail and Couriers

You receive a communication that looks as if it has come from Royal Mail or a courier company. It says that they tried to deliver an item or it is waiting to be picked up. When you contact them by telephone or online, you are told there is a small fee to pay. If you give them your card details, they will empty your account. Remember there is no fee for an item to be re-delivered. It is a scam.

Investment Scams

Who doesn’t love a bargain? Correspondence inviting people to take advantage of the current economic downturn have been sent with “exciting investment opportunities” that were, of course, fake. Interest rates of 4% or more, returns of 6% etc. are all scams, or involve high risk investments, not covered by the Financial Services Compensation

Why do I get sent these Communications?

They call the lists “suckers lists”. Once you have made one

donation, you are added to the list and repeatedly contacted with similar scams. The fundraising of genuine charities is regulated and they cannot contact you unless they have an existing relationship, so beware of personalised contacts from charities you have never supported.

Scheme. Beware of investments involving forestry, solar panels, green energy and suchlike.

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-away to your bank and to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or www.actionfraud.police.uk

December 2020 SCAMS ALERT Page 2

The HMRC Scams Tax Refunds, Legal Threats, Payments and Tax Codes Action Fraud has experienced an increase in the reporting of malicious calls and voicemails, to members of the public purporting to be from Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Fraudsters are spoofing genuine HMRC telephone numbers to deceive their victims over the telephone. The fraudsters state that as a result of the victim’s non-payment of tax or other duty, the victim is liable for prosecution or other legal proceedings in order to settle the balance. The fraudsters suggest victims can avoid this, by arranging payment to be made immediately by methods such as bank transfer or by purchasing iTunes gift cards.

If the victim is hesitant or refuses to comply, the suspect makes a threat such as immediate arrest, sending bailiffs to the victim’s address or, in some cases, deportation.

Often, the period for which the tax is allegedly due is distant enough to guarantee the victim will have little, if any, paperwork or ability to verify the claims. Once the money is paid the scammers sever all contact with the victim.

In genuine cases, HMRC will initially make direct contact with you via post/letter and potentially follow up that letter with a phone call at a later date.

If HMRC contact you via telephone they will quote the reference number on the initial letter you should have received. HMRC will not discuss something you are not already aware of, like a tax investigation, and will NOT demand immediate payment.

Retailer Scams Curry’s/PC World - The communication, which uses the Curry’s PC World logo, says there is a package, often a Samsung smartphone, waiting to be delivered to you.

The links within the communication lead to websites that are designed to steal personal and financial details. A spokesman for Action Fraud said: "Do not click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails, and never respond to messages that ask for your personal of financial details."

The email encourages the recipient to 'act fast' as ‘product availability is running low'.

To find out more information on what to do if you are caught up in a scam or have been sent a suspicious email, visit: www.actionfraud.police.uk

Argos - Beware if you receive anything like this: Congratulations - You've won the £500 gift from Argos. Your gift is valid until 15 December 2. http://bit.ly/Argos-

The website URL is followed by various letters and numbers. If you click on it, it takes you to a clone of the Argos website, asks you to log on, so the scammers can access your real Argos account, get at stored credit and debit card details, order goods, immediately collect it from the store and charge it to you.

Don’t click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails and never respond to messages that ask for your personal or financial details. If you do click on a link, run your virus checker to make sure your device is not infected.

Don’t assume a telephone call or email is authentic, even if someone knows your basic details (such as your name or address). Remember, criminals can spoof phone numbers and email addresses to appear as companies you know and trust, such as TV Licensing.

Never give your banking or card details over the telephone unless you are buying something and have contacted the company yourself, using its genuine telephone number, rather than one from a communication that might be a scam.

Your bank will never call and ask you for your PIN, full banking password, or ask you to transfer money out of your account.

been stolen you can check your credit file quickly and easily online. Use a reputable service provider and follow up on any unexpected or suspicious results.

If you have been a victim of fraud or cyber-crime, report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Scam Telephone Calls – Dial 1471 afterwards, and if the system gives you the number that called, report it to BT at www.bt.com/consumer/edw/scams/

BT Scam Emails - When BT raise their prices, this prompts a surge in scam emails that look as if they have come from BT. They tell you that you must log-on to accept the changes. If you click on the link, you will be taken to a fake clone of the BT website and your log-on details will be captured by the crooks who are hoping you use the same log-on and password for shopping and other websites. Forward the scam email to

Never let a caller have access to your device or computer.

What to do if you’ve fallen victim:

Let your bank know as soon as possible and monitor your bank statements regularly for any unusual activity.

If you suspect your identity may have

phishing@bt.com

Bank Scam Emails - Scam emails that look as if they come from banks are fairly easy to spot, in the same way as Charity Scams – see front page. Like the BT ones, they take you to cloned websites and ask for personal log-on details so they can empty your account. Forward scam emails to phishing@ within the bank. For PayPal, the address is spoof@paypal.com

Argos are aware but the scam keeps on being repeated with new versions of the cloned website.