Scams

Today, the National Crime Agency can reveal that they have shut down a platform used by hundreds of criminals to defraud victims across the world.

Russian Coms, established in 2021, is thought to be behind financial losses in the tens of millions. An estimated 170,000 people across the UK are believed to be victims.

The letter is addressed from “Indv and Small Business Compliance” at HMRC. It states that, in response to a recent government initiative, the recipient of the letter should send certain documents to HMRC by email. The documents include the business’ bank statements, accounts and VAT return, and a copy of the driving license for each director.

HMRC’s advice

A HMRC spokesperson has confirmed that the letter is fraudulent and has given advice on how to stay safe online.

The office of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has issued a warning to the public after a phone number claiming to be from there was falsely used.

West Midlands crime commissioner warns of phone number being used in scam | Express & Star (expressandstar.com)

A builder has been sentenced for fraud after a Gainsborough family had to move out due to a botched loft conversion that left their home at risk of collapsing.

James Quinn, who claimed to have 20 years of experience in loft conversions, offered to complete the work for £3,000, according to Lincolnshire County Council.

British holidaymakers are being warned that they could be at risk of phishing scams this summer. Fraudsters posing as travel agencies or airlines may attempt to steal valuable information from you with well-crafted cons.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/crime/phishing-scams-aimed-at-british-tourists-4728858

On May 19 2023, Tejay Fletcher, the head of a fraud service platform known as iSpoof, was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

iSpoof provided users with the ability to clone the phone numbers of banks and other legitimate businesses, with the sole purposes of scamming people out of their money.

People like Carina - a lawyer- who’d been tricked into transferring over £7,000 of her own money to scammers who’d called her pretending to be her bank.

A local garage in Hertfordshire helped uncover a scam where a con man posing as an interested car buyer had tampered with the vehicle's engine to knock money off the asking price.

As reported in the Shropshire Star, Jerry Scagell and Jennie Shaw fell victim to a fraudster that claimed to be a mechanic who was interested in privately buying their Skoda Octavia Scout.

People are being warned against a 'Royal Mail scam' appearing in inboxes.

Facebook page, 'Lancashire Trading Standards Scambuster Stan', posted an example of the message to advise followers to stay vigilant. The email purports to be Royal Mail, stating the recipient has failed to receive a 'large letter' from HM Revenue and Customs.

With the UK school year coming to a close next week, thousands of families will be looking forward to much-needed getaways. However, parents are being warned of new QR code scams proliferating in tourist areas of the country, particularly in car parks, as well as in other public spots like restaurants, pubs, and parks, around common holiday destinations in the UK.

QR Code Generator has provided some expert tips to avoid falling victim to false codes and ‘quishing’ scams this summer holiday.

A gang of cowboy builders who conned elderly people across England and Wales, including in North Yorkshire, out of £1.2 million have been jailed.

They targeted more than 20 people by carrying out work which was unnecessary then charged customers above the value of the jobs undertaken.