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In this issue:
Residents should be aware of scam emails claiming to be from PayPal saying you have received funds to your PayPal account. The email may be headed: ‘You’ve Received New Funds!’
The email is not from PayPal and the links in the text, if clicked, take you to a fake version of the PayPal website where scammers would attempt to steal personal & financial information.
PayPal advise the following:
- Genuine emails from PayPal will always address you by first and last names or business name, never a generic greeting like ‘Dear PayPal user’
- Genuine emails from PayPal will never ask you to enter your password or financial information or send such information in an email. You should only share information about your account once you have logged in to: www.paypal.com/uk
- Genuine emails from PayPal will never contain an attachment or ‘software update’ to install on your computer
If you receive this email:
- Forward the entire email to: spoof@paypal.com without altering the subject line
- Delete the email from your email account
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Coventry Trading Standards are warning that fraudsters are telephoning residents on landlines pretending to be from BT. They claim your last bill has not been paid and unless an immediate payment is made by credit or debit card your telephone line will be disconnected immediately. They warn that if you do not pay now it will cost a lot more to reconnect it.
BT have confirmed they may have to call you about a debt, but they will never disconnect a phone line during the call.
Although this scam uses the BT name, fraudsters often adapt and could use any other service provider to try to convince you.
Our advice: if you have any concerns, terminate the call and contact BT using a number found on your last bill. You should never give out personal or banking details over the phone.
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Leaflets have been distributed in the Holbrooks area offering opportunities to work from home filling envelopes for an un-named mail order company.
No experience is needed but an upfront fee of £29.99 is required so that information can be sent to you. There is a promise that this will be refunded after submitting work to them.
Before considering taking up the offer follow the advice given on the Action Fraud website; Action Fraud is the National Fraud Reporting Centre in the UK.
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According to an article published on Money Saving Expert, there is evidence to suggest that some loan brokers are giving the impression that they are credit unions in an attempt to attract customers.
Research carried out by an Actual Credit Union – Somerset Savings and Loans – showed that some Internet search results for "credit unions" may bring up ads for "credit union loans" which will not be a Credit Union. Instead it may take you to a broker offering a payday loan with rates from 9.9% - 3,350%APR variable. Credit Unions are not allowed to offer loans above 42.6%
Coventry City Council, like many other Councils, is seeking to support Credit Unions to help ensure that they provide an effective and viable alternative to the so called ‘pay day lenders.’
To find your local credit union visit www.findyourcreditunion.co.uk or call the Association of British Credit Unions (Abcul) on 0161 832 3694.
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Due to an unspecified potential safety concern, Lidl UK is recalling all stock of the following items: 'Guest Mattress', 'Meradiso Guest Mattress' & 'Meradiso Chair Beds' from sale.
Anyone who has purchased the above should return it to a store for a full refund. This affects all item numbers. Other 'Meradiso' products are not affected by this recall.
Any customers with queries or concerns can contact Customer Services on 0870 444 1234.
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‘Courier’ Scam – this involves a phone call from someone claiming to be from the Police or the bank warning of fraudulent activities on your credit or debit card.
The caller asks for confirmation of sensitive personal information which may include your PIN Number. They then arrange to collect your ‘compromised’ card from your doorstep so that a replacement one can be issued.
The call is not from the Police or bank, it is from a fraudster who may now have all the information they need to raid your account.
Another courier scam may involve expensive mobile phones which is delivered by a legitimate delivery company but is immediately followed by a phone call from someone claiming that the phone has been delivered to the wrong person, and needs to be collected straight away.
Scammers will have picked a name and address at random using stolen or cloned card details to place an order and arrange a delivery date and time.
The scammers hope to get away with a ‘free’ contract mobile phone.
Protect yourself against scammers:
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Be wary of accepting any goods not ordered. Report suspicious to the company who sent it before handing it back to anyone claiming to be a courier.
- Never agree to deal with cold callers offering home improvement type work as this is a favoured approach used by Rogue Traders whose sole intention is to extract as much money from their victims as possible.
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