21/07/22
Welcome to the latest edition of the Scam Share bulletin. Stay Scam Aware and please share any relevant information in this bulletin with friends and family.
Suspicious Text Messages
If you receive a suspicious text message you can forward it to 7726. The free-of-charge ‘7726’ service enables your provider to investigate and take action if malicious content is found.
Recently Reported Scams
Cost of Living Payment Scams
The Scam
Those who are eligible to receive an extra payment to help with the cost of living are being warned that they may be targeted by scammers. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is urging people to be suspicious of any message or cold call asking them to apply for the payment.
If you are eligible, you do not need to apply for the cost of living payment. You will be paid automatically in the same way you usually get your benefit or tax credits.
Scams linked to the £400 discount on energy bills have also been reported: several people have received text messages asking them to click on a link to 'complete your application' for the rebate.
You do not need to apply for the £400 energy bill rebate - the money will be applied directly to your energy account.
Energy suppliers will deliver this support to households with a domestic electricity meter over six months from October. Direct debit and credit customers will have the money credited to their accounts, while customers with pre-payment meters will have the money applied to their meter or paid via a voucher.
How to Avoid
Any call or message asking you to apply for either payment or to contact someone about the payment is likely to be a scam.
If you receive a text message, email or cold call asking for your details or for a fee to 'apply' for the payment or energy bill rebate, do not click on any links or provide any details.
DWP will never ask for your personal details via text message or email.
Ofgem will never ask for your bank details in relation to energy bills. They will never cold call or visit your house and will never ask for your personal information or try to sell you energy.
The Scam
Fraud prevention service Cifas has warned that scammers are targeting under-25s and offering to process a HMRC VAT Refund in exchange for 50% of the proceeds.
Criminals are approaching young people via social media, posing as a company offering a tax refund and requesting personal and financial information in order to transfer money to bank accounts.
While there are genuine firms that can obtain tax refunds for people, there are many scammers who may submit inaccurate refund claims to HMRC on their behalf. They often charge a fee based on the size of the refund. If the refund claim is incorrect, HMRC may initially pay the refund, but ask for it back later, meaning that you could end up paying both the fraudulent firm and HMRC.
How to Avoid Cifas advise that you should be wary of anyone offering a tax refund online. Question claims that you are due money you weren't aware of and avoid handing over your personal and financial information to someone who has contacted you unexpectedly.
HMRC advise that you should be suspicious if you receive an unexpected phone call, text or email purportedly from them asking for money or offering financial help. Don't click on links, provide any details or make any payments to a cold caller.
If you are unsure whether a message from HMRC is genuine, check their website before clicking on any links or providing any details.
The Scam
Several consumers have recently purchased renewable energy products, such as solar panels, from an online store. They paid via bank transfer, only to be informed that the products were currently out of stock.
The retailer asked for their bank details so that a refund could be processed; however, the consumers have not received their money back and are now unable to contact the website owners.
Shop Online Safely
Be wary when buying products from unknown websites or sellers, particularly if they are advertised at a price that is significantly cheaper than on official websites.
Pay by credit card or a secure online payment system for stronger protection. Be suspicious if a seller will only accept payment via bank transfer.
Check independent reviews of the seller/store on official websites rather than relying on reviews hosted on the website itself.
Make sure you have contact information for the seller in case something goes wrong. The website should list a valid return address and contact details - be suspicious if a UK website has a returns address overseas and check that the address is listed with Companies House.
Check the site’s return policy and terms and conditions.
Look out for spelling or grammatical mistakes and poor-quality images – these could mean that a website is a scam.
Your consumer rights are generally the same whether you’re shopping on the high street or online. When shopping online, you also have the right to a 14-day cooling off period for most purchases.
The Scam
Almost 3,500 people targeted by an international mass marketing scam have this week received a share of £530,000 following a four-year investigation by National Trading Standards (NTS) and the US Federal Trade Commission.
They had received scam letters offering large cash wins and claiming ‘guaranteed’ cash prize pay-outs. They were asked to pay an upfront fee of between £25 - £40 to release the "prize". Some people paid the fee several times, with some losing thousands of pounds before realising there was no prize.
The scammers particularly targeted vulnerable people, such as older people living alone or those with long-term health conditions.
How to Avoid
You cannot win a prize draw lottery that you haven't entered - any unexpected letters, emails or cold calls telling you that you have won a cash prize are very likely to be scams.
Don’t respond to any such letters, even if they look genuine.
A genuine lottery won’t ever ask you to pay a fee to collect your winnings.
Action Fraud have reported that over £1.5 million has been lost so far this year to WhatsApp scams, where criminals pose as a friend or family member in need.
Scammers typically claim to be a family member and usually begin the conversation with “Hello Mum” or “Hello Dad”.
They may say they are texting from a new mobile number as their phone was lost or damaged, then go on to ask for money to purchase a new phone. Others claim that they need money urgently to pay a bill.
The criminal supplies their bank details for payment, with some requesting multiple payments.
One man from Aberdeen recently received a message, supposedly from his daughter, saying that she had received an unexpected bill and didn't have enough money to pay it. She asked him to transfer money to her account.
He grew suspicious about the way his daughter was speaking to him and phoned her using her landline. She confirmed that her mobile phone had been hacked and that she had not requested any money.
How to Avoid
WhatsApp advise that you should STOP, THINK and CALL if you receive an unexpected message asking you to transfer money or purchase gift cards.
Verify that it really is your friend or family member by calling them directly, or asking them to share a voice note. Only consider the request once you are certain that it is from someone you know and trust.
There are frequent reports of phishing emails, purportedly from PayPal, saying that your account will be deactivated if no action is taken.
Other scam emails may say that your account has been 'temporarily restricted' or 'limited'.
The emails include links to copycat websites using PayPal branding which ask you to enter personal and account details.
How to Avoid
If you need to take action in relation to your account, PayPal will use the secure message service within accounts to send you a message. They have confirmed that they will NEVER ask customers for their password or credit card details via email or text.
Genuine emails will be sent from addresses ending in paypal.com and will include your name. If the email begins with ‘Dear Customer’ or Dear Client’ it may be a scam.
Be suspicious of any unexpected message which appears to be from an official organisation and tells you that you must provide your details or a payment within a certain time frame. Never click on links in unexpected emails or text messages and never enter any payment or personal details. If you are unsure if a message which appears to be from PayPal is genuine, sign into your account on the official website.
The Scam
People across the country are being targeted by scammers, who are taking advantage of their financial worries during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
We are currently asking people to respond to the Big Scottish Scam Survey to find out about the most commonly experienced scams in Scotland so that we can help consumers recognise and avoid them.
The results of this survey will be used to inform the content of a month-long campaign to be run in September, which will aim to raise awareness of scams linked to the cost of living crisis.
If you have experienced any kind of scam in the past year - via email, text message, phone call, letter, online advert or on the doorstep - we would like to hear about it.
App - short for 'application', refers to a software program for computers or other devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Malware - malicious software that is designed to damage or gain unauthorised access to a computer or other device.
Phishing - the practice of sending fraudulent emails which often appear to be from well-known organisations or companies and ask the recipient to provide personal information or to visit a particular website.
QR Code - a square barcode that a smartphone camera can scan and read to provide quick access to a website or app.
Ransomware - malware that makes data or systems unusable until the victim makes a payment.
Remote Access - the ability to access a computer or device from another location. Anyone with remote access to a device can access all files stored on it.
Smishing - the same as phishing, but carried out via SMS (text) messages rather than emails.
Software - the set of instructions and programs that tells a computer how to operate.
Virus - a computer program designed to infect and damage legitimate software.
Official Contacts
If you feel threatened or unsafe, contact Police Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
