Scam awareness

It’s important to remember that scams are crimes that can happen to anyone, but we can all take a stand to help stop them.

Being scam aware is vitally important for everyone. The more aware we all are to the potential of being scammed, the less likely it is that we’ll become a victim.

It’s more important than ever to help protect people against scams, as people are facing more issues than almost ever before – from employment and debt, to housing and health – resulting in more people being in vulnerable situations.

There are actions we can all take to report scams, share stories about them and raise awareness of scams to safeguard us and others.

Ultimately, it’s important for you to be alert and to consider whether something could be a scam. Things could be a scam if:

• It seems too good to be true – such as a holiday that’s much cheaper than you’d expect.
• You’re contacted by somebody unexpectedly and you don’t know them.
• You’re suspicious that you’re dealing with an organisation that isn’t a real company. Not having a postal address is often a good clue.
• You’re quickly asked to transfer money.
• You’re asked to pay money in an unusual way, such as with vouchers or through a transfer service like MoneyGram or Western Union.
• Somebody asks you to give away personal information such as passwords or PINs.
• You’ve never been given written confirmation of what you’ve agreed.

If you’ve given away money or information because of a scam, there are things you should do. Check the Citizen’s Advice website for what to do if you’ve been scammed.

If you haven’t been scammed, but you’ve seen something you think is a scam, you should report it.

With many of us carrying out more daily tasks online than ever before, staying safe online and being aware of scams is vital.

There are some key things you can do to protect yourself from being scammed online. Lots more information is available on the Citizens' Advice website here.

Is an online shop fake?

You can search for a company’s details on gov.uk and this’ll tell you if they’re a registered company or not. If you’re buying something on a site you’ve not used before, you should spend a few minutes checking it out and reading the terms and conditions. The company’s address should have a street name and not just a post office box.

Check their reviews on different websites as well – don’t just rely on the reviews it’s put on its own website.

Don’t click or download anything you don’t trust

Quite simply, if you’re not sure you can trust what you’re looking at, don’t click on it or download anything. For example, if you get an email from a company with a strange email address, clicking on any links could infect your computer with a virus.

Make sure your antivirus software is up to date as well.

Think twice before giving away any information

Some scammers will try to get hold of your personal information, such as the name of your primary school or your National Insurance number so they can hack your other online accounts.

If you find sites that ask for this sort of information without a clear and obvious reason, check they’re legitimate before you continue.

Have your details been shared online?

Sometimes your log in details can be published online when a website is hacked. This means someone could use them in a scam. Check whether your accounts have been put at risk on Have I Been Pwned?.

Make your online accounts as secure as possible

Make sure your password is secure for email accounts and make it different to the one you use on other accounts. If you’re worried about remembering lots of different passwords, you can use a password manager.

Some websites let you add a second step when you log in to your account – this is known as ‘two-factor authentication’. This makes it harder for scammers to access your accounts.

Find out how to set up two-factor authentication across services like Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Outlook and iTunes on the website Turnon2fa.

Keeping our finances safe is important, whether we bank online or in the more traditional ways.

However, there are some steps we can all take to keep our money safe online.

Choose a reputable bank/building society

Only bank with a reputable bank or building society. This is one easy way to know your money is as secure as possible, and will give you more protections should anything happen to your money.

Know how your bank operates

Check your bank’s website to see how they’ll communicate with you. For example, check what type of security questions they’ll ask if they phone you. Be aware for any tricks from scammers which could lead you into revealing your personal information, such as asking for characters from a password more than once, and changing the characters they ask for.

Keep your security information safe

It’s important that you can remember your security information, but that only you know it and have access to it. Don’t save this information on your computer or phone and don’t write it down and keep it in your purse or wallet.

Make sure you don’t reveal this information to anyone who wouldn’t normally need to know it.

Pay by debit or credit card

Paying for things by card can give you extra protection if things go wrong – including scams or if companies go into administration.

Citizens' Advice has also published a useful guide to getting your money back after you’ve been scammed.

We've been made aware of a scam call from fraudsters claiming to be from Carphone Warehouse.

In a ploy to get your card details, they call you and offer what appears to be a really good mobile phone contract deal. Once they have your details, they take mobile phone contracts out in your name. Their aim is for the mobile phone provider to send you a different device to the one you had ordered with them, they'll then contact you and ask you to return the phone to them before they can send out the new one. The scammers have no intention to send you the correct device, leaving you with a mobile phone contract to pay and no phone.

If a deal appears to be too good to be true, please be aware that it probably is.  Should you receive a call of this nature and you're wanting to upgrade your phone, we'd encourage you to hang up and call your phone provider directly.

Contract scams are common and they can have a huge effect on your credit score. If you believe you've fallen victim to this or any other scam, please contact Action Fraud to report it: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/.

We've been made aware of a convincing text message scam that's currently circulating.

The fraudsters are pretending to be working on our behalf and claim that your Direct Debit has failed. The phishing message encourages you to click the link to re-enter your bank details.

If you receive a message of this nature, we'd recommend that you do not click on the link, or enter any of your details.

We'd like to remind customers that we'd never ask you to send your bank details via text message. If you're unsure about the legitimacy of a message you've received, please call us on 0800 111 4013 and we'd be happy to confirm whether we had contacted you.

If you think you've fallen victim to a scam, please report it to Action Fraud and contact your bank immediately.

A scam is currently circulating which involves people receiving parcels from Amazon that they didn't order. 

Despite the free goods, this scam is very serious and could mean fraudsters have gained access to your personal information. 

If you receive a parcel that you've not ordered and it's not a gift from a friend or family member, you should report this to Amazon straight away. We'd also recommend changing the password for your Amazon account. 

More information on 'brushing' scams can be found on the Amazon website.

We've been made aware that customers are being approached on Facebook by someone using the name 'James', though this scam could be replicated by anyone, whom claims that he can help them claim money back from their banks. 

'James' coerces the victim into providing their bank details and promises to help them claim back bills they’ve paid by direct debit.     

'James' takes a large percentage of the money and he doesn't explain that the victim will be responsible for paying the full amount claimed back. Regrettably, the victim is left further in debt and in the case of rent arrears, at risk of losing their tenancy. 

If you're approached by anyone offering a bill claim back service, you should report this to Action Fraud on their website or by calling them on 0300 123 2040.

We'd like to remind our customers to take care online, and to not give out any personal information.

A scam is currently circulating in Skegness, though this could be replicated anywhere, regarding building work on your home.

The fraudsters call you and claim that they’ll be starting some work on your home, and try to coerce you into giving them your personal information.

They make it seem real by referring to you by name and knowing your address. We’d like to remind our customers to be cautious when answering the phone.

If you’re one of our customers and you receive a call of this nature and you’re unsure if it’s genuine, we’d urge you to hang up. You can then call us on 0800 111 4013, pressing option 3 to speak to our Customer Services Team, and they’ll be happy to verify any planned works we’ve booked in for your property.

If you think you’ve fallen victim to this, or any other scam, you should contact your bank immediately. You should also report it to Action Fraud by calling them on 0300 123 2040 or by visiting their website.

We're aware of a phishing email that's currently circulating, that claims your National Insurance number has been disabled due to fraudulent activity. 

The email urges you to click a link to reactivate your National Insurance number. We'd like to remind our customers that you'll never be required to do this. 

If you receive an email of this nature, we'd urge you to not click any links and to delete it. 

If you think you've fallen victim to this scam, or any others, please report it immediately to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040.

Many scam calls and texts are currently circulating that are in relation to repairs compensation schemes.

We're aware of the following scams:

• A text message from 'CouncilUK' that asks if you have any repairs issues that you need to report, and urges you to click a link to claim money back on your rent. This is not a genuine message.
• A phone call that suggests a new Government scheme has been introduced that allows you to claim back money on repairs. This scheme doesn't exist, and if you receive a call of this nature we'd urge you to hang up immediately. 

If you have repairs to report, please do this via our usual routes. For more information on how to report a repair, click here. 

If you think you've fallen victim to a scam, you should report this to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040.

We've been made aware that a fraudster has been making calls to our customers about repairs in an attempt to gain their personal details.

Anyone claiming to work on our behalf will identify themselves when calling you. If you receive a call and you’re unsure if it’s legitimate, please hang up and call our Customer Services Team on 0800 111 4013 (option 3) and we’d be happy to verify their identity.

We've been made aware of a convincing telephone scam which is currently targeting businesses. 

The cold caller claims to be a High Court Enforcement Officer, calling regarding debts owed to HMRC. The caller claims that to deal with the matter and to raise a dispute, a sum of money needs to be paid. 

We'd like to reassure our customers that HM Courts and Tribunal Service will never telephone to ask for bank details, nor will they telephone you to ask you to make a bank transfer.

If you're unsure, we'd recommend you hang up and report the call to Action Fraud by calling them on 0300 123 2040 or using their online reporting tool.

We've been made aware of a scam call from fraudsters claiming to be from BT. The automated message states your contract is going to be terminated, and to press 1 to talk to the investigation team. We'd like to remind our customers not to press 1 and to hang up.

If you think you've fallen victim to a phone scam, you should report this to Action Fraud immediately by calling 0300 123 2040.

With many people's shopping habits changing and relying more on online shopping, fraudsters are trying to cash in.

Scam emails and texts regarding your scheduled deliveries are currently circulating. The most common is a text asking you to pay a small fee to reschedule the delivery of your parcel, after an unsuccessful delivery attempt was made. 

If you receive this text, do not click the link and delete it straight away. 

Royal Mail has created a guide to help you identify these delivery scams. 

If you think you've fallen victim to a scam, please report it to Action Fraud and contact your bank immediately. 

Gaming enthusiasts have been caught out when purchasing what they believe to be the new PlayStation 5 (PS5) console on eBay.

Scammers have been listing the item as 'Brand New Photo of the PS5 console', meaning eager shoppers are disappointed when they receive just an image of the gaming device.

When purchasing on eBay, remember to carefully read the description, and check out the seller's feedback first.

We've had reports that an individual who attends a food larder in North East Lincolnshire received friend requests on Facebook from somebody with whom it appeared they shared a mutual friend.

They were asked to click a link to receive a free food parcel and to complete their details. Regrettably, the individual did so and then had all their money emptied from their bank account.

The police and Facebook were made aware of the scam, and the perpetrator's Facebook account was closed down.

While this incident happened in North East Lincolnshire, it’s believed a similar scam could easily be replicated elsewhere. 

Please take extra care online and think twice before entering personal details anywhere to help you stay safe online.

We've been made aware that scammers are targeting people who are using trade finder apps.

Whilst trade finder apps are genuine and can help you to find legitimate tradespeople, they are being exploited by fraudsters offering products and services they have no intention of fulfilling.

A genuine tradesperson will provide a quote for any work and will invoice customers once the work is complete. If a tradesperson asks for the money upfront, it's likely to be a scam.

If you think you’ve fallen victim to this, or any other scam, you should contact your bank immediately. You should also report it to Action Fraud by calling them on 0300 123 2040 or by visiting their website.