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From traditional face to face fraud to fraud carried out by someone anonymously online there’s a variety of ways that criminals can take advantage.

Scams carried out by criminals are ever evolving and often involve current circumstances such as the current Cost of Living Crisis.

The advances in technology that enable us to carry out more activities easily are also frequently exploited by scammers.

It’s therefore important to be aware of the current types of scams around you and what you can do to prevent becoming a victim of fraud.

The Metropolitan Police in partnership with Take Five (a national campaign set up to offer impartial advice on how to prevent fraud) have put together a booklet to make you aware of the latest and most prolific scams.

This booklet will help you to identify potential scams and help prevent the loss of your valuable data and belongings, it also gives advice on what to do if you unfortunately become a victim of fraud.

The Little Book of Big Scams can be viewed here https://www.met.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/central/advice/fraud/met/the-little-book-of-big-scams.pdf

For more information on the types of scams and how to protect yourself from fraudulent activities visit https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, get in touch with Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

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Scammers are taking advantage of people affected by the current rise in living costs, pretending to be government officials or energy companies and offering bogus rebates, grants, and other support payments.

As you can imagine, this has sadly left people who are already struggling even more worse off.

To help prevent you and your loved ones from becoming a victim of Cost-of-Living scams, we’ve put together a list of current scams that fraudsters are using and the steps you can take to avoid them.

Government/HMRC Cost of Living help texts

The Government have been giving cost-of-living payments to help millions of households in the UK.

The payments are sent automatically to all who were eligible, with no application necessary.

This however didn’t stop fraudsters sending texts, pretending to be from the Government or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), asking people to apply for the payment.

Some of the people who received these scam texts also received a follow-up email asking them to call a fake number where they were asked to provide even more sensitive and financial information.

These kinds of messages are commonly known as smishing scams with scammers aiming to get as much private information out of you as possible, such as banking details or passwords.

To prevent yourself from becoming a victim of a smishing attack, it’s best not to give out private information and not to reply to text messages, download attachments or click on any links in emails unless you’re sure it’s from a genuine contact.

If you believe that you’ve been targeted by a cost-of-living payment phishing scam, you can:

• Forward scam emails to [email protected], and the National Cyber Security Centre will investigate it.
• Forward scam texts to 7726, this will report the message to your mobile phone provider free of charge.

Rebates and Refunds Scams

Scammers are pretending to be local governments and are using a recent £150 council tax rebate to ask people to apply for the money by passing on their banking details over the phone.

These kinds of phone calls are commonly known as vishing scams. Vishing is when scammers try to trick victims into giving up sensitive information like credit card numbers, bank account details and passwords, over the phone

The rebate, however, is paid automatically to those who pay their council tax by direct debit, and most of these people should have received their payment by now.

Local councils have urged households not to give out any sensitive information and advised people if they get a call which doesn’t look genuine to hang up and call their local council directly using the contact number on their website.

It’s not just governments, scammers are also pretending to be the energy regulator Ofgem texting households inviting them to apply for a £400 rebate to help them pay for their heating bills.

Ofgem will never text you to offer a rebate, so don’t respond or click on any links if you receive these types of texts.

If you think you’ve been a victim of one of these scams get in touch with Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or call the police on 101 and call your bank directly if you’ve shared any of your account details. Action Fraud also have more information on cost of living crisis scams here https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/news/criminals-are-using-the-cost-of-living-crisis-to-scam-the-public-dont-become-a-victimction Fraud

For more information on how to report fraud visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/reporting-a-scam/

For more information on the types of scams and how to protect yourself from fraudulent activities visit https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

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By being too polite to say no, we’re putting ourselves at risk of impersonation scams.

An impersonation scam is where a criminal pretends to be from a trusted organisation such as a bank, building society, or other service provider. The criminal then tricks their victim into transferring money using a range of cover stories. These include claiming they need to protect an account from fraud, that a fine or tax needs to be paid or an erroneous refund must be returned.

To help people from falling victim to these types of scams, Take Five are urging people to Stop, Challenge, Protect when being asked for their information or money.

When receiving a call asking for personal or financial information remember to:

• STOP: Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
• CHALLENGE: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
• PROTECT: Contact your bank or building society immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.

If you receive an unwelcome call asking for personal and financial information from someone claiming to be from Loughborough Building Society and feel that it’s fraudulent, please get in touch with us on 01509 631960 and we’ll be able to confirm for you whether the call was real or not.

If you think you’ve been a victim of impersonation fraud, get in touch with Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

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• A bank, building society or other trusted organisations will never contact you out of the blue to ask for personal financial information or to move money to another account.
• Never click on links from unexpected emails or texts as this could give fraudsters access to your personal or financial details.
• Always question unexpected approaches in case its fraudulent. If you’re unsure whether the approach is genuine or not, contact the company directly using a known email or phone number.
• Just because someone knows your basic details (such as your name and address or even your mother’s maiden name), it doesn’t mean they are genuine.
• A genuine bank, building society or other trusted organisations will never rush you into making financial transaction and they would never ask you to transfer money into another account.
• If something feels wrong then it is usually right to question it. Even if someone appears trustworthy, they may not be who they claim to be.
• Have the confidence to say no if you’re unsure. it’s okay to stop the discussion if you do not feel in control of it.

Here are some of the different types of scams to look out for

Phone Scams (Vishing)

Fraud over the phone – or Vishing – is when a fraudster calls claiming they’re from your bank or some other trusted organisation. It is easy for them to convince you too, since they can both fake the telephone number on the screen and do their research to find out some of your basic bank and personal details. Remember though, a genuine bank or building society will never ask you for personal or financial details like your PIN number or full banking password (even by tapping it into your phone keypad).

5 things to look out for on a scam phone call:

1. The caller doesn’t give you time to think, tries to stop you speaking to a family member or friend or is insistent and makes you feel uncomfortable.
2. The caller asks you to transfer money to a new account for fraud reasons.
3. They phone to ask for your 4-digit card PIN or your online banking password. Even if they ask you to give it to them by tapping into the telephone keypad rather than saying the numbers out loud, this is a scam.
4. They ask you to withdraw money to hand over to them for safe-keeping.
5. They may say that you are a victim of fraud and offer to send a courier to your home to collect your cash, PIN, payment card or cheque book.

Text Scams (Smishing)

A text might not be from who you think – Smishing is when criminals pretend a message is from your bank, building society or another organisation you trust. They will usually tell you there has been fraud on your account and will ask you to deal with it by calling a number or visiting a fake website to update your personal details. Please take a moment to stop and think and realise this is the fraud

5 signs a text message might not be genuine:

1. The caller doesn’t give you time to think, tries to stop you speaking to a family member or friend or is insistent and makes you feel uncomfortable.
2. The caller asks you to transfer money to a new account for fraud reasons.
3. They phone to ask for your 4-digit card PIN or your online banking password. Even if they ask you to give it to them by tapping into the telephone keypad rather than saying the numbers out loud, this is a scam.
4. They ask you to withdraw money to hand over to them for safe-keeping.
5. They may say that you are a victim of fraud and offer to send a courier to your home to collect your cash, PIN, payment card or cheque book.

Email Scams (Phishing)

Criminals don’t just try and contact you by phone and text, they also ‘phish’, contacting you by email too. So always be suspicious of unexpected emails that are supposedly from your bank or some other trusted organisation because the address can easily be faked. Never automatically click on any links they contain either, not before stopping to check if they seem genuine first.

7 ways to spot an email you’ve been sent is a scam:

1. The sender’s address doesn’t match the website address of the organisation it says it’s from. Roll your mouse pointer over the sender’s name to reveal its true address.
2. The email doesn’t use your proper name – using something like “Dear customer” instead.
3. There’s a sense of urgency, asking you to act immediately.
4. There’s a prominent website link which may seem like the proper address, but with one character different.
5. There’s a request for personal information.
6. There are spelling and grammatical errors.
7. The entire text of the email is within an image rather than the usual text format and the image contains an embedded hyperlink to a bogus site. Again roll your mouse pointer over the link to reveal its true destination.

For more information on the types of scams and how to protect yourself from fraudulent activities visit https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

If you receive an unexpected call from someone claiming to be from Loughborough Building Society and feel that it’s fraudulent, please get in touch with us on 01509 631960 and we’ll be able to confirm for you whether the call was genuine or not.

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud get in touch with Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

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These fraudsters often pretend to be from banks, building societies or other trusted organisations, to exploit and persuade people to provide personal information that will allow them to access their private bank accounts.

Scams like these are unfortunately costing people millions of pounds each year, with new scams being uncovered on a regular basis, however there are ways we can fight the scammers to prevent it happening.

At The Loughborough keeping your personal and financial information safe is the utmost priority for us and we have measures in place that will help protect you from attempted fraudulent activities.

As well as the measures we have in place, there are steps you can take too.

Take Five, a national campaign set up by the government, has outlined the following advice which can help you avoid becoming a victim of financial fraud:

Requests to move money:

A genuine building society, bank or other trusted organisation will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, full password or to move money to another account. Only give out your personal or financial details to use a service that you have given your consent to, that you trust and that you’re expecting to be contacted by.

Clicking on links/files:

Don’t be tricked into giving a fraudster access to your personal or financial details. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text.

Personal information:

Always question uninvited approaches in case of a scam. Instead, contact the company directly using a known email or phone number.

Don’t assume an email or phone call is authentic

Just because someone knows your basic details (such as your name and address or even your mother’s maiden name), it doesn’t mean they are genuine. Be mindful of who you trust – criminals may try to trick you into their confidence by telling you that you’ve been a victim of fraud. Criminals often use this to draw you into the conversation, to scare you into acting and revealing security details. Remember, criminals can also make any telephone number appear on your phone handset so even if you recognise it or it seems authentic, don’t use it as verification they are genuine.

Don’t be rushed or pressured into making a decision

Under no circumstances would a genuine bank, building society or other trusted organisation force you to make a financial transaction on the spot; they would never ask you to transfer money into another account for fraud reasons. Remember to stop and take time to carefully consider your actions. A genuine building society, bank or other trusted organisation won’t rush you or mind waiting if you want time to think.

Listen to your instincts

If something feels wrong then it’s right to question it. Criminals may lull you into a false sense of security when you’re out and about or rely on your defences being down when you’re in the comfort of your own home. They may appear trustworthy, but they may not be who they claim to be.

Stay in control

Have the confidence to refuse unusual requests for personal or financial information. It’s easy to feel embarrassed when faced with unexpected or complex conversations. But it’s okay to stop the discussion if you don’t feel in control of it.

If you’ve taken all these steps and still feel uncomfortable or unsure about what you’re being asked, never hesitate to contact your building society or bank on a number you trust, such as the one listed on their website or on the back of your payment card.

Remember

Stop – Take a moment to think.

Challenge – Don’t be afraid to ask questions or to say “No” and end the conversation.

Protect – If you think you’ve been the victim of fraud, contact the building society or bank from which you’ve made the payment immediately

For more information on protecting yourself from fraudulent activities visit https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

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If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud get in touch with Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or call the police on 101.

For more information on how to report fraud, visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/reporting-a-scam/

For information on protecting yourself from fraudulent activities visit https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

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