Thousands of people fall victim to email, text and phone scams - and these are some you need to be aware of right now.
Just this week the ECHO reported how the number of WhatsApp scams has soared by 2,000% in the past year, according to analysis from Lloyds Bank. Fraudsters are increasingly turning to the instant messaging app in a bid to con users out of their hard-earned cash.
The total number of scams reported as starting on WhatsApp had increased twenty-fold between 2020 and 2021. On average, victims of the scams lost around £1,950 each.
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However, fraudsters don't just use messaging apps to scam innocent victims. New hoaxes include a Royal Mail chatbox scam and a fake investment bank offering ‘refunds’.
We have rounded up recent scams from Which? and some the ECHO have reported.
Royal Mail chatbox scam
Fraudsters are now creating fake chatbots in a new twist in delivery scams, according to Which? The chatbots sneakily sign victims up for expensive monthly subscriptions.
It starts by sending phishing emails impersonating Royal Mail that invite you to "start a chat" to trace or reschedule a delivery. The fake chatbot then lists a delivery tracking number and shares an image of a parcel, explaining that the "label was damaged", to convince you to reschedule the delivery.
However, clicking the link takes you to a different website which asks for your name, address and payment details. In small print which is at the very top of the page and only visible when you scroll up on a mobile phone reveals adding these details enters you into a game.
It is called 'Skill Game' and adding the details purchases a three-day trial to bilingua.net costing £2 then £59 every 30 days. Which? reported a few days later form switched to promoting a different website – called proplanner.io – costing £62 every 30 days.
Fake investment bank offering ‘refunds’
Which? reported a strange email from ‘GFC Investment’ which referred to themselves as a "depositor". It claimed to be an investment bank "working to acquire a new and more robust regulation" and that part of the process involved paying a refund to the person receiving the email.
According to the consumer experts, this type of scam can lead to recovery frauds. This is where scammers target prior victims, claiming to help recover losses, only to defraud them further.
Warning issued over WhatsApp scam where people lose thousands
Fraudsters are increasingly turning to the instant messaging app in a bid to con users out of their hard-earned cash. The total number of scams reported as starting on WhatsApp had increased twenty-fold between 2020 and 2021.
On average, victims of the scams lost around £1,950 each. Lloyds Bank has now issued some message characteristics to be wary of.
Users are being warned that the scam messages can seem "very personal" and will often use the pretence of being a family member who has lost their phone. They don't even need to know your name, as "Mum" or "Dad" may be enough.
Lloyds Bank said: "The story they tell can vary, but most often they will claim that because it is a new phone, they don’t have access to their internet or mobile banking account, and therefore they need urgent help with paying a bill."
Warning as scammers target thousands of self-assessment taxpayers
Scammers are targeting self-assessment taxpayers according to figures showing that 570,000 incidents were reported in the last year.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging customers to be on their guard following the self-assessment deadline. At this time of year, self-assessment customers are at increased risk of falling victim to scams, even if they don’t mention self-assessment.
People can be taken in by scam texts, emails or calls either offering a refund or demanding unpaid tax, thinking that they are genuine HMRC communications referring to their tax return. In the 12 months to January 2022, nearly 220,000 scams reported to HMRC offered bogus tax rebates.
The criminals will target unsuspecting customers to try and steal money or personal information often by imitating government messages to appear authentic. In January 2022, phone scams rose to 3,995 compared to 425 reported in April 2020.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: "If someone contacts you saying they’re from HMRC, wanting you to transfer money or give personal information, be on your guard. Never let yourself be rushed, and if you’re in any doubt then check our ‘HMRC scams’ advice on GOV.UK."
Customers were given an extra month to submit a completed tax return and if filed by February 28, 2022, they would avoid a late filing penalty. HMRC has a dedicated team working on cyber and phone crimes using innovative technologies to prevent misleading and malicious communications from ever reaching the customer.
Santander's warning to customers after fake NHS text scam
Santander has warned its customers of a fake NHS Covid-19 text scamming people out of large amounts of money.
Around £880,000 of impersonation scams that started with fake NHS Covid-19 texts have been reported to Santander since January. On average, people are being conned out of £5,600, according to the bank's data.
In one case seen by the bank, a couple transferred more than £20,000. The scam works by fraudsters sending fake texts stating the recipient has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
Texts include a link to a fake NHS website to order a PCR test. The website asks for their personal details and a small amount of money is requested to cover postage for the PCR test. This means the payment card details can be harvested by the fraudster, who then contacts the intended victim pretending to be from their bank and convinces them they are being scammed and they need to move their money into a "safe account".
The name on the safe account is often someone else's and the fraudster will concoct an explanation for why it is not in the customer's name. In reality, the account is controlled by the fraudster. Once the money is sent, all contact is cut off, and victims' details are sometimes sold on to other criminals.
