Tag: Fraudster

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

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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

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.

Fraud Aware

tinsleyNET Fraud Awareness
Fraudsters see major incidents as an opportunity to take advantage of you

Fraudsters Don’t See Tragedy, They See Opportunity

After any major incident, many people turn to the internet to find out more information and to see if there is any way in which they can help. The majority of us will be shocked by tragic events as we see them unfold, more so when the incident is closer to home.

Unfortunately, the fraudsters know this, and don’t look at these events with sympathy, but look at them as an opportunity to scam people. Make it second nature to verify the sources of information you share, think before you click.

Scams

tinsleyNET Social Media Services

Scams that crop up after an incident can vary and take on many forms. They can be from people just out to harvest ‘likes’ by creating and sharing memes or making up stories about fictitious people ‘who were there’ when it happened, or they can be criminals out to pinch your bank details.

Often, the fraudsters will use social media to share a photo with a sentimental message or outraged caption, and will use any tactics then can to pull on your heart strings to get you to forward or re-share the post.

Expect them to exploit photos of affected people and paint sad stories to get you to hand over your money.

Who To Trust

Use some common sense when deciding if a link you’re about to click is genuine.

  • If the link came via email or instant messenger, check with the email sender that they intended to send it, they many not be aware if their account has been compromised.
    • This is doubly important if the email or message says something along the lines of “I’ve changed my bank details” – double check in person or over the phone. This is a common and well known scam.
  • Fake News is a massive problem at the moment and unlikely to go away, websites like Metafact, Full Fact and Redaction Watch are just a few that can help you identify fake news. (Read more about these sites here)
  • Check the validity of any links before you click them, it may say www.TrustWorthyWebsite.com in the text, but hover your mouse over it to find out where it’s really linked to first.
  • If a URL shortener has been used, (the link looks like sh.ort/Wg5SDS or something similar) check the full-length URL on the shortner website used, or use a trusted third-party website like www.checkshorturl.com
  • Check with someone in authority. If a Just Giving page has been setup by Bob claiming that he’s raising money for the recent incident, how can you be sure your donation is going where he says? Just because he mentions various valid aid organisations in the link does not mean they endorse him or have any connection to him.
  • Seen a photo of a young child with a caption “This person is missing, please share this link to help find her” – think…
    How is sharing this link going to help find someone?
    Is it at all likely that the missing person or someone they know is reading Social Media?
    Can you be sure that person is really missing? is there a police reference number?
    Check the facts first!
  • Look at the date when the first share was made, was it recently or several months ago?
  • Is the source of the information genuine and trustworthy? Just because someone says that ‘The Police have asked…’ doesn’t mean it’s true. If it is true then there should be a link back to an official page with verifiable details. Don’t take someone else’s word as fact without checking it first.
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We can help you sort the truth from the lies, and show you how to identify fraudulent emails and links. We can even configure and install hardware designed to filter out the fake news.