Welcome to the 12th edition of the Derbyshire County Council Scams Awareness Bulletin
August 2019 - Edition 12
This bulletin gives details of scams and tricks that our Trading Standards Department, other council staff and partner agencies have been made aware of in recent weeks. Please feel free to share this bulletin far and wide - you can send it to colleagues, family members or friends as it is a public bulletin.
Derbyshire Constabulary are receiving calls from people across the county reporting that they have been targeted by telephone scammers who claim that £600 has been taken from the victim’s bank account. The scammers then tell the victim to ring a number or press 1 to stop this happening.
If you receive one of these calls hang up immediately and ensure you do not pass any details during the phone call. Contact your bank directly, using the customer service number on the back of your bank card to report the call. If possible use a different phone than the one you received the call on. If that is not possible ensure that you hear the dial tone before you make any outgoing calls.
Once you have contacted your bank please use one of the following methods to contact Derbyshire police:
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has received intelligence to suggest that fraudsters are contacting social media influencers, based in the UK and abroad, offering them the opportunity to market a bogus product, service or investment opportunity
Fraudsters will present professional and credible pitches to the social media influencers and try to convince them to feature the opportunity for a fee on their social media profiles in order to entice unsuspecting followers of the influencer to sign up or make a purchase.
Additionally, fraudsters are using the names of well-known public figures, implying that their opportunity or product is endorsed by the figure when it is not.
The public should be aware that any apparent endorsement by celebrities, influencers or personalities does not necessarily mean that an investment, product or service is genuine. The public is urged to exercise a cautious approach to any such offer of investment, product or service with the same caution they would at any other time.
If you are purchasing goods from a company you don’t know and trust, carry out some research first, or ask friends or family for advice before completing a purchase.
Professional-looking websites, adverts or social media posts do not guarantee that an investment opportunity or product is genuine. Criminals can exploit the names of well-known brands or individuals to make them appear legitimate.
Avoid paying for goods or services by bank transfer unless you know and trust the person or company. Payments via bank transfer offer you no protection if you become a victim of fraud. Instead, use your credit card or payment services such as PayPal as they offer you greater protection if you become a victim of fraud.
Bogus lenders are targeting benefit claimants with offers of fake ‘loans’.
Claimants have been approached in person by bogus benefits officials offering to help obtain ‘cheap government loans’ or have been offered a loan over the telephone.
In each case the bogus official takes personal and banking details, which they then use to make an unauthorised application for an advance payment of Universal Credit.They then either pocket the payment for themselves or send to the claimant, minus a hefty ‘fee’, demanding monthly repayments as if they were lending out their own money.
This is a form of fraud which preys upon the poorest in society and can leave them with no benefits, and which also steals from the taxpayer.
All residents should be advised to report any bogus officials or telephone scammers to the police.
Advance payments of benefits or loans from the benefits system can be obtained direct from the Department for Work and Pensions. Anyone needing more information can look on the gov.uk website or seek advice from Derbyshire Welfare Rights Service.
Action Fraud offered the following tips on how to protect yourself:
Never share your personal or financial information with someone you don’t know and trust, especially if it’s in response to an offer of "free money" or a "free grant".
Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) staff will never approach you in the street or ask for your personal/financial details over social media.
If you have concerns about your benefits, you should visit www.gov.uk/contact-jobcentre-plus
If you suspect your identity may have been stolen, you can check your credit rating quickly and easily online. You should do this every few months anyway, using a reputable service provider and following up on any unexpected or suspicious results.
More than 5m pension savers across the UK are at risk from common scamming tactics, underlining current concerns over fraudsters targeting people’s retirement cash pots.
A new report from two of Britain’s top financial bodies has found that 42 per cent of pension savers, which equates to over 5m people, could be in danger of losing out from criminal tricks such as cold calls and time-limited offers.
According to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and The Pensions Regulator (TPR), which are joining forces to warn the public against retirement fraud, the chance of being drawn into one or more scams soared to 60 per cent among those who said they were actively looking for ways to boost their retirement income.
Be aware
Financial regulators have used the findings to call on consumers to reject unexpected pension offers, whether made online, on social media or over the phone.
Pension cold calls, free pension reviews, claims of guaranteed high returns, exotic investments, time-limited offers and early access to cash before the age of 55 are all being used as tactics to tempt savers into risking their retirement income, according to the report.
“If you receive any communication through WhatsApp saying it’s from HMRC, it is a scam,” it says.
Taxpayers who receive any such message should email the details to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk, then delete it.
The guidance gives up-to-date examples of the wide range of tax rebate and refund scams that fraudsters are using to target taxpayers to try to persuade them to reveal their personal details. These include attempts made via email, pdf attachments, text messages, bogus phone calls, social media, refund companies and export clearance process (delivery stop order) emails or 419 scams.
Individuals pretending to be police officers and traffic wardens are targeting members of the public.
Action Fraud has received 33 reports since January 2019 of victims being targeted by individuals purporting to be police officers and traffic wardens. A number of these victims have been elderly and vulnerable.
The victims are being approached while in their car or in a car park and told by the suspect that they have parked illegally or broken a speed limit and that a photo has been taken of their car for evidence. Victims are advised that they will face a substantial penalty fine unless they pay a smaller upfront fee.
Victims, who opt for paying the smaller penalty, will be directed to a parking meter and asked to enter their card and PIN number. The cards are then retained by the machine and the fraudsters look over the victim’s shoulder to get their PIN number.
Protection advice
If you are suspicious about the authenticity of the fine, do not pay it until you have verified it with your local council.
Always shield your PIN from view when using an ATM machine, and never share your PIN with anyone.
If your bank card is retained by an ATM machine, contact your bank immediately to inform them.
Pauline Smith, head of Action Fraud, said: “This is a highly planned fraud that takes advantage of the pressure victims feel to pay the fine, especially by those who are elderly and vulnerable.
“It is important that people shield your PIN from view when using an ATM machine. We are urging people to be particularly cautious of anyone claiming to be from an official authority. If in doubt, verify the person’s identity with your local council or police force.”
A local resident received this email that claimed something had gone wrong with her TV Licence payment.
As you can see, the email contains a link and asks the recipient to make payment.
The link leads to a copy cat TV licensing website that looks very almost identical to the real TV licensing website but has a different URL (website address).
Fake BT Broadband emails
A reader sent in a copy of an email she'd received claiming to be from BT Broadband. The email was headed 'important information about your email service' and said that because the recipient had used her email address in the last 90 days she needed to know about some changes.
The email encourages her to 'link' her email address to her BT Broadband account. To do this the email advises the recipient follow the link. When the link is clicked on it leads to a fake website. This is called 'phishing' where the scammers try and obtain your personal details, such as your email address, so they can try and access online accounts you may hold.
The same reader also sent in a another email purporting to be from BT Broadband which stated the recipient must follow the link and log in to avoid her service being suspended. The sender had also sent the scam email to many other people with @btinternet.com email accounts and their full email addresses were visible at the top of the email so could be seen by all recipients.
Fake quote email
A Derbyshire resident received an email that said:
"Hi, I sent you this work document earlier for your quote, but noticed it failed to deliver. I have amended it, kindly find work details in the attachment.
Would you be able to give a rough estimate on how much this kind of work is likely to cost.
We aim to start-off in the next couple of weeks.
Kind Regards, 'name'"
When the attachment is opened it leads to an online document that asks you to enter your email address and password to view the document. Again, this is a phishing attempt to try an get your email address and a password you regularly use. Criminals would use these details to try and access online accounts you hold.
Prize Draw Scams
A reader explained that she receives countless fake lottery and prize draw scam letters. Letters like these (right) claim you've won a prize and that you need to provide ID to prove your identity and claim the prize. In reality there is no prize and the scammers will use your ID documents to steal your identity.
Other prize draw scams ask you to pay a processing fee to claim your prize. Those who pay never hear anything again and lose the money they paid for the 'fee'.
My Mum and Dad were just called by a Chesterfield number telling them that they have had £600 taken from their bank and to call them immediately. It’s a scam and they want you to call back so they can access your bank account. Please share as the bank say 2000 people in the last 2 weeks have been caught out.
Officers from Derbyshire police’s Fraud Investigations Team are warning people to be cautious when renting property privately, following an increase in rental fraud in the north of the county.
Rental fraud happens when would-be tenants are tricked into paying an upfront fee to rent a property. In reality, the property does not exist, has already been rented out, or has been rented to multiple victims at the same time. The victim loses the upfront fee they have paid and is not able to rent the property they thought they had secured with the payment. Tammy Barnes, Derbyshire police’s Fraud Protect Officer explains: “The cases we are seeing in Derbyshire involve victims who have paid a deposit to view a property, only to find that although the property exists, it is not available to rent.” Action Fraud classifies rental fraud is a type of advance fee fraud, and their website gives the following tips to help would-be-tenants to protect themselves:
Do not send money to anyone advertising rental properties online until you are certain the advertiser is genuine.
Do not pay any money until you or a reliable contact has visited the property with an agent or the landlord.
Ask for copies of tenancy agreements and any safety certificates such as gas, electricity or HMO Licence.
Do not be pressurised into transferring large sums of money. Transfer funds to a bank account having obtained the details by contacting the landlord or agent directly after the above steps have been followed. Be sceptical if you’re asked to transfer any money via a money transfer service like Western Union.
Contact the Age UK Derby and Derbyshire Information and Advice Line on tel: 01773 768240. Age UK also have a downloadable guide on recognising and dealing with all kinds of scams.
Derbyshire Scamwatch is a project funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire. The aim is to raise awareness, particularly amongst older residents, of the potential harmful effects of mass-marketing, internet, doorstep and telephone scams and to provide one-to-one advice and support where potential scam/fraud victims are identified. Follow them on Facebook to keep up with the latest scams hitting Derbyshire.
The Think Jessica website has lots of information and advice about all different types of scams and tricks.
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This bulletin is compiled by the Adult Care
Information Team
