Tag: Fraud

Friends Against Scams

FriendsAgainstScams
FAS Shield ScamChampion

SCAMChampion

We’ve pledged to help people become more Scam Aware

There are 2020 SCAMChampion’s in the UK and tinsleyNET are proud to be one of them. We’ve pledged to help spread awareness of scams, the techniques used and common and newly spreading scams.

We’re doing this by hosting a series of free to attend online training sessions, and by providing a Be Scam Aware service via email and Facebook where you can send copies of your suspected scam and we can check it for you.

We’re also encouraging people to become a Friend Against Scams by taking a free, short online course and joining the 623,397 Friends Against Scams already registered.

If you have suspected scam, you can send it to us by email or post it into our Facebook Group ‘Be Scam Aware’

FAS Shield ScamMarshal 1

Scam Marshal

We’re dedicated to identifying Scams

There are 1722 Scam Marshals in the UK, and tinsleyNET are proud to be one of them. We’re working to help identify new scams as the spread and try to make people aware of the scam before they encounter it.

The number of people who are victims to scams every year.

The number of scams that get reported.

The number of people that have been targeted by a scam five times or more.

More than 53% of victims are aged 65 or over.

The cost to the UK economy is estimated between £5-£10 billion a year.

The number of victims every year who are too embarrassed to tell anyone they have fallen victim to a scam.

To contact Friends Against Scams:

FAS Shield Organisation

Friends Against Scams Organisation

As one of only 260 Friends Against Scams Organisations we’re working to raise awareness of scams in organisations and charities that we work with

Other points of contact

Here are some more organisations that are helping to tackle the scams.

To contact the Police Action Fraud team:

To contact National Trading Standards – Scams Team

To report scam mail to the Royal Mail:

Don’t Feed The Beast : Coronavirus Misinformation & Frauds

tinsleyNET Admin
Coronavirus Swarm

The government has announced a rapid response unit of specialists to identify false, misleading and misinformed posts regarding the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Made up of experts from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and from the technology sector, they’re working to combat fake news and fraudulent activity on social media platforms.

Fake News

The government is worried that the amount of fake news or ‘false narratives’ circulating around the Covid-19 outbreak, is dangerous and could obscure the actual factual advice given by the NHS.

The unit has already been tackling upto 70 serious incidents a week with purported experts making dangerous claims that could mislead people into thinking a dangerous activity was safe to do, or that the level of severity has been overestimated.

Fraudsters

Along with the fake news are the fraudsters, ready to take advantage of the ongoing epidemic. We’ve listed some of the frauds we’ve seen or heard about on our other blog post here: Coronavirus Scams. We’ll keep that post updated with relevant information.

The public can help stop the spread of potentially dangerous or false stories circulating online by following official government guidance – the ‘SHARE’ checklist. This includes basic but essential advice such as checking the source of a story and analysing the facts before sharing.

Government Release
SHARE Checklist
Coronavirus Styalised Mono

There are a number of online resources that will help you spot fake news and frauds, but the best resource you have is you, follow the governments SHARE initiative and think before you click.

  • Source – make sure information comes from a trusted source
  • Headline – always read beyond the headline
  • Analyse – check the facts
  • Retouched – does the image or video look as though it has been doctored?
  • Error – look out for bad grammar and spelling

Some websites that help fact check articles and debunk the fakes and frauds:

Coronavirus Scams

tinsleyNET Admin
FraudAdvice

It’s inevitable that unscrupulous people are already taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to scam people, and several scams have already been seen, so please take care and remember that not everyone is out to help you!

Infected People List

One of the first scams we’ve heard about is an email or social media posting claiming to have secret government lists of infected people

The scammers claim they can sell you a list of people near you confirmed as infected with the Covid-19 virus.

As there is no routine testing for the virus, and people with symptoms are being asked to self-isolate and only contact a doctor if their symptoms don’t clear up or get worse, there is simply no way a list could be made of infected people.

If you do receive a list of random names, they are literally just that, random names.

Special sprays or soap to kill the virus

As well as some people profetearing from the panic buying, there are a number of scammers selling “specially made” soaps, sprays or other products that can kill the virus.

The Covid-19 virus is not special, it can be killed by routinely used products. the government advice to wash your hands with soap and water regularly is sufficient for most people.

There is some news about a vaccine being tested, but again for most people it’s unlikely this will be required.

Other Scams

There are likely to be many more scams in the coming weeks, be vigilant and think before you click. The scammers will use any tricks they can to convince you they know something you dont.

Police Update

A new scam text that claims to be from the government

Corona

Please be aware there are more scam text messages going around purporting to be from UKGOV the pictures are examples of the messages being sent if you receive one please DO NOT open them or click on any links.

‘You have been out of your house 3 times today, you are in breach of Government Guidelines, your £30 fine will be automatically added to your bill‘.

‘We would like to inform you that you have been recorded as leaving your home on 3 occasions yesterday. A fine of £35 has been added to your gov.uk account. For further information please visit gov.uk/coronavirus-penalty-payment-tracking. Protect the NHS. Save lives.’

90694467 10157995210293168 648113949400629248 N1

As you can see from the attached image the scam text is sitting in the same thread as the genuine UKGOV text so many people may get caught out by this.

The link goes to a fake website.

Another message with similar text states a much higher fine and gives an 0800 number, again do not click the link to that number as the message is fake.

There are likely to be many more of these over the coming weeks so please be vigilant.

Please can you share this with friends and family and stay safe from these awful scams.

Tina Fallon (Police , Engagement and Consultations officer, Wolverhampton Partnerships)
Neighbourhood Watch Alert & https://www.facebook.com/westmerciapolice

National Trading Standards

58236 Coronavirus Scams1

HMRC Refund Update

Fake text messages and emails claiming to be from HMRC offering a tax refund to deal with COVID-19

241

Fake emails claiming that you have a Tax Refund from HMRC have started circulating with reference to Covid-19.

HMRC Will never notify you of a refund in an email like this.

HMRC
 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phishing-and-bogus-emails-hm-revenue-and-customs-examples/phishing-emails-and-bogus-contact-hm-revenue-and-customs-examples

Action Fraud Update

Frauds related to Covid-19

“Recently the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) reported a new trend in fraud related to Coronavirus, or COVID-19.

Updated figures show there have been 105 reports to Action Fraud since 1 February 2020, with total losses reaching nearly £970,000. 

The first report relating to Coronavirus, or COVID-19, was received on 9 February. There were 20 more reports that month. Since then, there have been 46 reports between the 1 March and 13 March, and 38 reports in just four days (14 March – 18 March).“

Read the full report here: ActionFraud

Action Fraud 20/03/2020
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/alert/coronavirus-related-fraud-reports-increase-by-400-in-march?fbclid=IwAR3xUyFbyWtRT-ZKw5r4IBr94nPY6CiWnUH0wPumXdMZW_pYErcbkDL2Z7g

West Midlands Police Update

Doorstep Scams

“In light of the current concern facing the UK there has been reports of individuals taking advantage of the situation knocking doors pretending to be Police officers and health officials with the intention of gaining entry and burgling the home.

Tactics include the criminals offering fake Coronavirus testing kits and fake services to assist those unable to leave their homes. Things like offering to collect essential goods and prescription medicines.

Please be mindful of answering the door to unknown people, even if they appear to be officials and always ask to see their ID which a genuine Police employee or health official would have and be happy to show you.

If you have any concerns for your safety call 101, visit WMP online or of course if an emergency call 999.”

West Midlands Police 19/03/2020
 https://www.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/da/315319

Action Fraud Update

Coronavirus scam costs victims over £800k in one month.

Since February 2020, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has identified 21 reports of fraud where Coronavirus was mentioned, with victim losses totaling over £800k.

Of the 21 reports, ten were made by victims that attempted to purchase protective face masks from fraudulent sellers. One victim reported losing over £15k when they purchased face masks that were never delivered.

Action Fraud 19/03/2020
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/alert/coronavirus-scam-costs-victims-over-800k-in-one-month

Bank Transfer Fraud

tinsleyNET Admin
tinsleyNET Fraud Awareness

The number of Authorised Push Payment Scams such as malicious redirection, where change of bank details are received from an apparently genuine sender, is on the rise.

We look at some of the common ways fraudsters use this to defraud people and businesses, and what you can do to help spot the fraud.

Bank Transfer Fraud

Compiled details from UK Finance, Which, ActionFrauf and FinanceWatch
Looking at Authorised Push Payment Fraud (APP) Malicious Redirection for 2018 only.

tinsleyNET Fraud Prevention


Number of reported APP(MR) reported :
7,544 Of which…
3,280 were against businesses.
A total of 9,898 payments were made, indicating a number of times, multiple fraudulent payments were made before the fraud was noticed.
Sum of losses:
£123,700,000 Of which…
£92,700,000 was from businesses.
£31,000,000 was from individuals.
Sum of money returned to victims:
£36,000,000 Only about 30% of the total money stolen in APP(MR) fraud is recovered.
Average Loss:
£20,750 Average loss in APP(MR) fraud directed at businesses.
Other financial frauds reported
Romance Scams £5,000,000
Impersonation Scams £22,000,000
Advance Fee Scam £6,000,000
CEO Fraud £8,000,000
Investment Scam £20,000,000 

Link to more details:  https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/system/files/Fraud%20The%20Facts%202019%20-%20FINAL%20ONLINE.pdf

Protection against Authorised Push Payment Fraud

There’s a voluntary code that banks can subscribe to, aimed at helping victims of APP fraud to get their money back if the APP was to another UK account. But that’s all, so having internal security procedures in place is essential.

Even if your bank does subscribe to this voluntary reimbursement policy, having some simple internal procedures in place can help prevent the fraud from happening in the first place. If you are still the victim of APP fraud, having documented procedures could show that you did take procedures to validate the payment first.

What to do if you’re a victim of APP Fraud?

First of all, you should gather all the documents relating to this transaction, include emails, letters and logs or telephone calls.

Next you should contact your bank. Find out if they are subscribed to the code for reimbursement, and report the fraud to them. If your bank refuses to help you or takes more than eight weeks to respond to you, you can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service via their website http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer/complaints.htm or by phone 0800 0234567

You should then report the fraud to the police via their Action Fraud service either on the internet at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or by phone on 0300 123 2040

tinsleyNET IT Servces Consultants #WeCanHelp

#WeCanHelp

We can help you put procedures in place that will help protect you or your business from APP and other financial frauds.

Top Tips

  • Protect your information.
    Sometimes, details used to commit APP comes from details found in the bin. Make sure you shred any documents with personal details on (even your name and address) before putting them in the bin.
  • Check Statements
    With so many bank accounts being paperless now, it’s easier to forget to download a copy of your statements and check them, but put a recurring reminder in your calendar to do this. Notify your bank or credit card company if you notice any unusual transactions, however small they are.
  • Redirect Mail
    If you move house, make sure you notify all the organisations who have your details. And put a Royal Mail redirect in place to forward any missed mails to your new address.
  • Double check any changes of details
    If you’re expecting an invoice or to transfer any sum of money, especially if it’s a large sum like buying a new house, and you get a letter, email or phone call advising you of a change of bank details – double check it, always! Call the recipient on a number you know you can trust (not one in the letter or email) and ask if it’s genuine, then ask for their old bank details so you can check they match what you have.
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Holiday Scams

tinsleyNET Admin
Malta Beach

A recent report from ABTA stated that in 2018, nearly £7million was lost to holiday fraudsters from UK holidaymakers.

Common scams

Bank Transfer Fraud

Information from ABTA, Action Fraud and Get Safe Online

Sun

Number of reported holiday related scams :
Over 5,000

Average individual loss per person:
£1,380

Largest individual loss:
£425,000

Total amount lost to holiday scammers:
£7,000,000

Link to more details: https://www.abta.com/news/new-report-reveals-seven-million-pounds-lost-holiday-booking-fraud

With holidaymakers looking to secure a cheap family holiday, the temptation to use less reputable websites offering deals to popular locations is great, and that’s where the scammers spend most of their time.

Airline Tickets

Over half of the reported scams were related to the sale of airline tickets. The largest single loss per individual was in August 2018 with an individual losing £425,000 in a scam.

While beach holidays are included in the airline ticket scams, as most people still use package holidays this is less lucrative for the scammers. Instead they target people booking just flights to visit friends and family in destinations like Africa and India.

Religious trips are a particular target with individual losses of £10,000 per person being reported.

The UK has specific regulations in place governing the sale of airline tickets, if your sales don’t comply to these regulations, it’s highly likely that they are going to be a scam.

Accomodation

A quarter of the scams reported were related to accomodation.

Professional looking websites offering up-market villas for rent in popular locations such as France, Spain and mediterranean islands use photos of genuine villas but without the permission or knowledge of the owners.

Fake Websites

Fake websites are so professional looking now that it’s difficult to tell them from genuine pages.

Check the website address your on, TUI’s website www.tui.co.uk is genuine, www.tui-ukdeals.com is not. Head over to GetSafeOnline to get more tips on identifying fake websites.

“The cost to victims is not just financial; this crime causes very real emotional distress. Fraudsters are using increasingly sophisticated methods to target destinations and times of year when demand is high and availability limited, as they know people will be looking for good deals. As victims often find out just before they travel or even in resort that they have been defrauded, it can then be very difficult and expensive to obtain a legitimate replacement booking compounding the financial costs and emotional distress suffered by victims.”

Mark Tanzer ABTA Chief Executive
https://www.abta.com/news/new-report-reveals-seven-million-pounds-lost-holiday-booking-fraud

Top Tips

  • Reviews. Do some research, don’t rely on a small handful of reviews. The scammers will often try to flood review sites with fake reviews, look for posts that appear fake.
    If it is a scam, there’s a good change other users have posted details of their experience with them.
    If you have a bad experience with a company, leave comments with honest reviews for others to read, but remember that what some people might feel is a fraud, others might accept as part and parcel of the experience.
  • ABTA. Check a company is registered on the abta website www.abta.com
  • Pay Safe. Use your credit card to pay for bookings, be wary of requests for payment by bank transfer.

Websites

Report any fraud you suffer to the Police at Action Fraud http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

Expert advice is available at Get Safe Online: https://www.getsafeonline.org/shopping-banking/holiday-and-travel-booking/

Find more tips from ABTA: http://abta.com/fraud

Romance Fraud

tinsleyNET Admin
RomanceFraud

Woman conned out of £40,000

A woman from south Wales was conned out of £40,000 by a conman she had already warned her own mother about.

Romance fraud is increasing as more people turn to dating apps and websites to find love.

The woman first became suspicious after her mother started an online relationship with a man claiming to be from France called Jean Marc. But when he told her he needed help after being robbed, the daughter became suspicious and warned her mother not to send any money.

However, after speaking to the man, the daughter changed her mind “His voice was so lovely and soft” she said “my heart just melted” she told BBC Wales

Eventually she agreed to send him €800 after he sent a photo of him in a hospital bed, despite the fact she thought it looked edited.

She then went on to send 21 more payments, totaling £40,000 before confessing to her husband what she had done.

Increasing reports

The police have said that they are seeing an increase in the number of romance frauds taking place, but believe that many more don’t get reported because of people’s embarrassment at being conned.

It’s easy to steal money in this way, fraudsters will often steal the identity of someone else a genuine person, then use their photos and details to create dating accounts. Fraudsters can often have several fake identities on the go at the same time, and be in contact with multiple victims.

Helpful tips

  • Never send money to someone you don’t know. It sounds obvious, but fraudsters are well practiced at pulling on your heart strings and sweet talking you into falling for their lies.
  • Always triple check. Look for the users profile on different services, check on the internet, search for the photos they send to see if anyone else has used them.
  • Get a friend involved. Ask someone you know personally and who you can trust, to check out the online profile.
  • If you willingly send money to a fraudster, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to recover that money unless the police can catch them.
  • Fraudsters will often research you before making contact. They’ll look into your friends, your social media profiles, any news about you on the internet, they will build a profile of your life so they can slot into it seamlessly.
  • It’s very easy for a fraudster to hide their location, using technology to hide their IP address.

Authorised Push Payment fraud on the rise

tinsleyNET Admin
Mobile Fraud

Authorised Push Payment Fraud

Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud is big business for the criminals, and for good reason. Last year it netted them £355,000,000 in the UK, with two thirds of that coming from personal bank accounts, and the rest from business bank accounts. Only £83,000,000 was recovered from the criminals.

Read more

Scam scam scam scam Scam scam scam scam…

tinsleyNET Admin
Social Media Scam

Think Before You Click

There are a number of scams doing the rounds at the moment, and they are becoming ever more convincing and complex, using multiple techniques to build a profile of you.

Antivirus software can not protect you against these, only your awareness and constant alertness will help.

As always, please do THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK on everything. Ask “Do I know the person who made this message/post” If you don’t, don’t forward the post regardless of how emotive it is.

Read more

Facebook Accounts Being Hacked

tinsleyNET Admin
Social Media Scam

A number of Facebook accounts have been compromised, with accounts sending out personalised messenger posts to friends, with links back to a Facebook page, such as a pages called “216,526 Views” and using a YouTube like icon.

If you receive such a message, contact the sender buy another means to let them know, and delete the message.

If you think your account has been compromised, first go to your account settings, security and login and check where you’re logged in. Log out any unknown sessions.

Now go to your connected apps and remove all apps or games.

Now go and charge your account password, and enable login verification emails and 2-step authentication in Security and Login Settings

  1. Scroll down and tap Account Settings > Security and Login
  2. Scroll down and tap Use two-factor authentication
  3. Tap the box next to Two-factor authentication