Five rules to keep you safe from the fraudsters MARTIN LEWIS

YOU CAN TWEET ME @MARTINLEWIS

IN OUR ever more connected world, these days many thieves have charm, act in a sophisticated manner and make out they are on our side.

Sadly I’ve been engaged in this world personally, as my image has been used across social media and online advertising, to try and dupe vulnerable people.

I’m fighting it as hard as I can. Yet as these con artists get more professional we all need to be more vigilant.

Here are my five scam self-defence rules…

1 NEVER GIVE DETAILS IF THEY TEXT OR EMAIL

FRAUDSTERS commonly send messages asking for your details to break into accounts, claiming to be from a bank, insurer, HMRC, or even the police. There are two types:

■ PHISHING: This a scam email, purporting to be from a company it hopes you have a connection with. It’ll send you to a professional-looking website – often a mirror image of a real one, and ask you to enter a password or personal details. Never click a link in an unexpected email or open an attachment unless you’re 100% sure of its contents.

■ SMISHING: Like phishing but by text. Texting them back isn’t a good idea as you’re just validating that they have texted a legitimate phone number, and never call them.

2 BEWARE FAKE DIAL TONES

VISHING (voice phishing over the phone) sees callers pretend to be from banks etc, asking for passwords or personal details. Don’t do it.

If it’s an unexpected call ALWAYS say you’ll call them back. Don’t call the number they gave you – find that institution’s official number.

Even that may not be protection enough, though.

One trick is where they call, tell you to call back, but when you hang up they don’t, and just play a dialling tone, tricking you into thinking it’s a new call, which they answer.

If you have any suspicions: A) Call from another phone; B) If using the same phone, call a friend first to make sure the line is back to normal, or C) Wait before calling back.

3 KNOW THE SCAMMERS’ TELLS

IN POKER a ‘tell’ is how you judge when someone is bluffing. Similar tells apply to scammers, including…

■ Anyone rushing you. You never need to make a decision straight away.

■ Anyone asking you to pay in an unusual way (ie vouchers).

■ Poor grammar or dodgy spelling in emails, or starting with “dear sir or madam”.

4 DON’T FALL FOR FAKE DEALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

THE key here is to know the source. Is the person giving you the info trustworthy, and are you certain it really is that person? Go to where you know it’s legitimate, and look for the same offer.

It’s easy to use lookalike web links, so if you think you’re reading an article from a newspaper or even my Moneysavingexpert.com – think about whether you went direct or clicked a link. If the latter, it may be a spoof from a clicked link in an email which looks similar.

5 ENSURE YOU HAVE ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE INSTALLED

FREE software, while not as full of features as paid-for programs, still keeps on top of threats. For a full comparison go to moneysavingexpert. com/freeantivirus

For more help see money savingexpert.com/stopscams

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