Ar Are yo e you u sc scam am awa aware re? Citizens Advice Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Tom Lund #scamawa aware re Scams Awareness Fortnight 15 - 28 June 2020
A sc A scam m is is a sc sche heme me to to con n pe peopl ple e out ut of th thei eir money. ney. 7 out of 10 people have been targeted by scammers in the last 2 years.
Most victims don’t report scams. But the impacts can be huge - people can: ○ lose their life savings ○ suffer emotional trauma or mental health problems ○ lose their confidence ○ suffer long-term health problems
Coronavi navirus rus scams ms Protecting ourselves and others against scams is more important than ever this year due to the coronavi viru rus crisis. Our data shows many new scams have emerged during the pandemic, including: adver erts ts for face masks ks or medic dical al equip uipment ent at high gh prices es ● adver erts ts selli ling ng fake cures s for coronaviru onavirus ● email ils s or texts s pretendi tending ng to be from om the government ernment ● email ils s offe ferin ring life fe insurance surance against inst coronaviru onavirus ● peop ople le knoc ockin king at the door or and asking ing for money ney for fake ● chariti ities
Comm mmon n scams ms Scams can affect anyone, so it’s important to know how to spot one. Co Common on scams include: Email ils s scams. ams. Harmful links are used to deceive people into revealing ● personal/financial details. By spoofing emails, email addresses, websites and payment services, scammers can trick people into believing they are dealing with genuine banks, traders and/or authorities (e.g. the Government). These are also known as copycat scams. Upfron front t payme ment/fe t/fee scams. ms. This covers a wide range of situations and ● scam delivery channels, but they usually ask for an upfront payment to unlock either a cash prize, a PPI claim amount or for initiating a service.
Doo oorste rstep p sell elling. g. These all begin with the person getting an ● unrequested knock on their door. They are often for expensive home improvements which the victim did not want or was pressured into. Inves vestme tment t scams. ms. Often conducted either online or over the phone, ● these can result in people losing thousands of pounds for non-existent stocks, shares and other investments such as rare wine or art. Average losses are very high. Antivirus/co tivirus/compu mpute ter. r. People are cold called and told they have a ● problem with their computer which, for a fee, can be fixed. Alternatively the victim might initiate the contact in response to an online advert or prompt claiming that their device has been infected with a virus.
You can find out more about current scams on Action Fraud’s website at www.actionfraud.police.uk/news.
Sc Scams ms Awa Awareness eness For ortnight tnight 20 2020 20
Scams s Awareness eness Fortnigh ight t is a s an an annual opportun tunity ity to raise se awareness ess of and t take e action n against st sc scams. s. Through the campaign, we want to: ● Equip people with the skills needed to recog ognise ise scams ● Empower people to take ke acti tion on and report ort scams ● Encourage people to talk k about their experiences and help others
Su Suspect ct a scam? There are 4 i 4 important rtant thi hings ngs you can do if you suspect you’re the target of a scam: 1. TAKE 1. KE ACTI TION ON Conta ntact ct your ur bank k or credit it card company pany (if payment or ● banking details are involved in the scam). If the scam is a pension transfer, contact the provi vider der ● immediately, along with the Pensi sions ns Advi viso sory ry Servic ice. Protect yourself from further risks. For example, if a scammer ● has gained access to your computer reset your passwords and update your antivirus software. Gather all the details of the scam. ●
Suspect Su ct a scam? 2. SEEK 2. K ADVICE ICE Get advice from the Citiz tizens ens Advic vice e consu sumer er servic vice on ● 0808 808 223 23 1133 133, or on 0808 808 223 3 1144 144 for a Welsh-speaking adviser. You can get advice directly from a Scams Action adviser by calling 0808 808 250 0 5050 050. Scams advice and information can also be found online at ● www.citizensadvice.org.uk/sa20. The Citizens Advice consumer service can also report ● problems to Trading Standards on your behalf.
Su Suspect ct a scam? 3. 3. REPO PORT RT Report scams and suspected scams to Actio ion n Fraud on ● 0300 300 123 23 2040 040 or at www. w.acti tionf onfra raud. ud.po police ice.uk .uk. Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and internet crime. The Crime Survey for England and Wales suggests that only 1 in 7 ● fraud incidents either come to the attention of the police or are reported to Action Fraud. Reporting not only helps to inform the work of advice or ● enforcement agencies like ourselves and Trading Standards; it also so helps lps to preve vent nt futur ure e scams. s.
Su Suspect ct a scam? 4. 4. TALK As a nation, we still don’t talk enough about scams. ● 7 out t of 10 peopl ple targeted ted by a scam do not t tell ll anyo yone ne about out it, , ● inclu ludi ding ng frien ends ds, , famil ily y or the authoriti horities. s. Talking about scams can help reduce the stigma and help protect ● others from falling victim. Tell ell family, mily, friends, iends, neighbo ighbours rs about your experiences so that they can ● avoid scams and find out how to protect themselves.
Top ti tips to to avoid d coronavirus onavirus scams ms If you see emails or texts about coronavirus from someone you don't know, ● or from an unusual email address, don't 't clic ick k on any link nks s or buy anyt ythi hing ng. Read emails or texts claiming to be from the government or official services ● carefully. Look out for spelli lling ng error rors s or typos os - these could be a sign that they’re not legitimate. If you need a government service, go to gov.u .uk to access it rather than clicking on a link in an email. If someone knocks on your door and offers to help with food shopping, do ● not t hand nd any money ey over until they have returned and given you the food.
Gene neral al ti tips to to avoid scams Stop p and think ink before parting with your money or information. Don't give ● money or personal details to anyone you don't know or trust - for example, someone who knocks on the door offering to help. If you’re contacted out of the blue - be suspici spicious. us. ● Say no to cold-call investments and pensions reviews. ● It’s ok to refuse requests - only criminals will try to rush or panic you. ● Your bank will never phone you to ask for your PIN or online banking password. ● If you haven’t bought a ticket - you can’t win it. ● You shouldn’t have to pay anything to get a prize. ●
How Ho w to to get t inv nvolved lved in n th the campaign paign Display our posters or screen graphics ● Tweet one of our sample tweets using #scamaware ● Post some of our sample content and images on Facebook ● Share your knowledge of scams on social media ● Become a Friend Against Scams - www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk ● Visit www.ci .citi tize zens nsadvi dvice ce.org.uk rg.uk/s /sa20 20 for l lots more ideas as on how to get involved. ved. There re are also f free e resource ces to h help p you campa paign. ign.
Tha hank nk you you.
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