Welcome to the Fraud Hub
Keys to Protecting Yourself
Potential Scams & Advice
Telephone Deception Scams
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Beware of people calling you impersonating organisations such as your Bank, Police, HMRC or even your Utility Provider.
Always verify the caller by calling back on a number that you trust, never make a payment without doing independent checks. Never provide your card details or your digital banking details or even allow remote access.
Please beware that HMRC will never call you to demand money for an unpaid text bill, you will know about this if you underpaid tax through a letter that HMRC sent you, the caller may even threaten you with arrest.
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The caller could be pretending to be your bank and has told you that your money is not safe and you need to move it. Banks can secure your account with a push of a button. Don't make the payment.
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Numbers can be spoofed, the number may look genuine.
Purchase Scams
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Beware of purchasing items through social media such as Facebook Market Place or Instagram, never make a bank transfer without viewing the item in person, another tip would be to see if the deal is too good to be true, fraudsters can use emotional ploys to deceive you such as telling you that their making a quick sale due a death in the family or some other reason.
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Be careful with large value items such as vehicle, always view the car, never pay a large deposit. Some scammers may say that they are abroad or even away for work and a third party will deal with the sale and delivery of the vehicle and they may even offer a money back guarantee, for a private sale... Would you offer this?
Invoice Scams
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If you receive an email from your builder, solicitor or any other service provider asking you make a immediate payment and you are expecting the invoice, always verbally confirm the sort code and account number before making payment, using a number from a trusted source. Remember, emails can be compromised, the email you receive may look genuine and could have come from the normal email address that you have received correspondence from before.
Investment Scams
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If you are thinking of doing some investments due to the interest rates being too low at your bank, you have to be careful. Always seek financial advice, check the firm you are dealing with that they are genuine and registered and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), always use the contact details on the FCA website to contact the firm to confirm the information you have been provided, again, if it is too good to be true compared to what else is on the market, steer clear.
Social Media Scams
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Anyones social media account can be hacked and compromised, if you receive a message from family or friend asking for a payment for an emergency situation, always verify this request verbally, do not make the payment until you have spoken to them. Sometimes you may get a message via WhatsApp from a new number, and the person has told you that their phone has broken and this is their new number, ring them, make sure it is them.
Money Mule Scams
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Never accept to receive credit into your account on behalf of someone else, this money could be from another victim who has been scammed. In most case, they will get you to transfer these funds onto Crypto currency websites or even to someone else, you must stop there and report it to your bank. Never provide your bank details to someone you have just met online such as Instagram.
