The latest scams and how not to fall victim to them
My phone rang earlier this week.
“This is an automated message from Amazon, a large transaction has left your account…”
Ten minutes later a real person from a distant call centre called me.
“This is Virgin Media, your TV box has been hacked…”
Automated or actual person, these calls were both scams. The Amazon one was attempted four times in two days. I also got a number of texts from HSBC about my account being compromised (I don’t bank with HSBC).
Scammers are going supernova at the moment. Frankly, it’s outrageous that more isn’t being done to hunt them down and prosecute them, or at least block them from using texts and telephone systems to contact us.
But for now, we can only be vigilant.
Earlier this year I published my scams guide with tips on how to avoid being duped
– you can read it at tinyurl.com/zuw3r5mt
However, I asked Sarah Dennis, Resolver’s scam expert, for a quick round-up of the latest text, email and phone scams to watch out for. you text messages to give you news of promotions and offers.
However, we are still seeing incidences of people getting texts from numbers claiming to be their ‘provider’ with details of ‘missed payments’, once again asking you to click a link to sort the matter out.
Do not do this – contact your provider directly if you have any concerns about the text.
This is one of the increasing types of scams and seems to be impersonating many of the wellknown delivery firms.
A text message is sent telling you either that you need to redirect or rebook a missing delivery, or that you owe fees to receive a package. You will be then directed to click on a link that will give you a convincing looking site to fill in your details.
Don’t trust ‘em!
These tend to fall into three main categories:
Being told you are due a rebate;
Being told you are being investigated for tax-related fraud or issues, and
Being told your National Insurance number has been compromised and you need to register for a new one.
These are all scams and HMRC will never call you or text you out of the blue. If you receive anything you feel is suspect then contact HMRC directly to report it.