Scams

HSBC has revealed a jump in UK business customers being targeted by scammers last month, as the banking giant called for industries including social media platforms to pull together to help tackle fraud ahead of Black Friday.

Purchase scams cases were 30% higher in October compared with the same month last year, the bank said.

WhatsApp users across Nottinghamshire are being encouraged to be vigilant after scammers hacked into accounts and asked their victim’s friends and family for money.

Nottinghamshire Police has received a spike in reports about a scam that sees a criminal gain control of a WhatsApp account belonging to someone who is part of a WhatsApp group – typically including members of a community or religious group.

With Black Friday approaching, parents are being warned to watch out for fake deals advertised online.

Research for the Take Five To Stop Fraud campaign, run by banking and finance industry body UK Finance, indicates that more than a quarter (27%) of parents have been tricked by purchase scams.

In recent weeks, police have received reports from individuals and businesses who were contacted by phone and/or email by a person claiming to be from their bank.

Through emails and phone conversations, some lasting over an hour with individuals to others which involved separate calls over several days, the fraudster/s managed to get financial details to access bank accounts of those they targeted. Sums ranging between £5,000 up to close to £250,000 were taken by criminals from accounts.

Islanders in Jersey are being warned there is a heightened risk of scams following Storm Ciarán.

The government says fake contractors often try to prey on vulnerable people during times of crisis.

It also says the credentials of the business should be checked before anyone passes over any personal details or money.

https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2023-11-06/islanders-warned-about-risks-of-scams-following-storm-ciarn

Email and text fraud works by playing on your insecurities just long enough for you to make a mistake, says Martyn James.

t’s that time of year again when we need to talk about fraudsters. UK Finance have released their latest half-year fraud statistics that reveal that scammers have managed to pinch a whopping half a billion pounds in the first half of 2023.

https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/money/how-to-protect-yourself-from-every-kind-of-scam-martyn-james-4386956

Santander has called for businesses to be vigilant against scams where fraudsters are pretending to be an employee from the bank.

Con artists are phoning businesses up and asking members of staff to give them access to their online banking account with the plan to transfer cash into scammers’ accounts.

• 53% of Generation Z targeted via impersonation scam
• 75% of Facebook users have been contacted by a fraudster
• 81% of savers have funds restored after fraud-related losses

One in five adults in the UK claim to have been a victim of financial fraud, with Generation X most likely to have handed over cash to a scammer, Paragon Bank research has found.

https://ifamagazine.com/a-fifth-of-adults-have-fallen-victim-to-financial-fraud-with-generation-x-most-vulnerable-paragon-bank-research-reveals/

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of people have been targeted by scams in the past year, a survey indicates.

Six in 10 (61%) people surveyed for NatWest said they now see more digital and online scams than “real life” cons, such as bogus sellers going door-to-door.

https://www.itv.com/thismorning/articles/74-of-people-have-been-targeted-by-scams-in-the-past-year

Dorset Council is warning people who have carelines - the personal alarm system - to be on their guard against scammers.

The authority has had reports of incidents in which fraudsters are getting people to pay for services they don't have to.

Some careline equipment needs to be upgraded as part of Ofcom’s requirement for BT and Openreach to update the telephone system to a digital one.