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Scams

Scam Emails

I’ve had two scam emails in the last 24 hrs, one from the Police and one from the Parish Council!

There really does seem to be an increase at the moment in all types of scams and cons. Probably because everyone is at home, cut off and vulnerable. Obviously the golden rule is don’t believe anyone…it too good to be true!

Also, before you do ANYTHING, speak to a neighbour or a friend.

Here are the Police messages…

Police are aware of a number of different SCAMS which have been taking place across the County.

  1. Amazon Prime Account
    Fraudsters are telephoning residents stating they are wish to refund an amount of money to their Amazon Prime Account and request remote access to their victim’s computer in order to make the refund. This is a scam. Do NOT give any details or allow access to your PC.
  2. HMRC
    Fraudsters are contacting residents saying they are from HMRC and threatening them with arrest or prosecution if they do not pay a sum of money to them which they say is owing. This is a scam. Do NOT give them your bank details or any other personal information (ie National Insurance Number) and do NOT agree to pay.
  3. Courier Fraud
    Fraudsters are contacting residents by telephone and pretending to be either police officers or bank employees. They will invent a story about your bank card being cloned, or about counterfeit currency at their local bank branch. Victims have been tricked into handing over their bank cards or cash, while others were instructed to purchase high value jewellery to give to a “courier”. Should you receive any such calls, try to note the callers telephone number by dialling 1471 immediately after the call. Contact your Bank to ensure everything is OK and let them know what has happened.
  4. O2 / Mobile telecommunications providers
    Fraudsters are informing people that there are issues with their Direct Debit making it impossible to process the latest bill. They suggest that in order to avoid fees, you should update your billing information via the hyperlink provided.
    If you receive a text message like this, do not click on the link(s) or follow any instructions given to you.

GENERAL ADVICE

NEVER disclose your PIN number or give out your bank details or withdraw cash. Do not engage in conversation and if in any doubt, hang up the telephone.

Many of these fraudsters tend to target the elderly. Please share this information with elderly relatives, neighbours and friends, so that those who are most likely to be targeted are aware.

If you suspect that you may have been the victim of fraud please report this to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report-a-fraud-including-online-crime.

Advice from the Parish Council

The Advertising Standards Authority has a form to report Scam ads. It can be found here:

There are also Premium rate number scams, Common online scams, and a host of others…phew

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