We receive regular updates from our local Police Community Officer, Action Fraud and other sources, about local and national scams. This page details the latest updates and lists known scams and how they work. If you know of any that should be included in this list do let us know by mailing neighbourhoodwatch@nsmranw.org so we can add them.
You can download "The Little Book of Big Scams" which is an extremely useful read for anyone who has concerns about identifying scams and what to do. You cna read it here.
Almost 21 million reports have been made to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS), resulting in the removal of over 235,000 malicious websites.
SERS was launched by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the City of London Police in April 2020 to enable the public to forward suspicious emails to an automated system that scans them for malicious links. Since its launch, almost 21 million reports have been made to the service.
Mobile phone providers also offer a service that allows customers to report suspicious text messages, by forwarding them to the number 7726. The service is free of charge and enables providers to takedown malicious websites and block malicious texts from being sent across their network.
As of 31 May 2023, 54,000 text message scams have been removed as a result of suspicious texts forwarded to the 7726 service.
Commander Nik Adams, from City of London Police, said:
“Every year, thousands of people in the UK are scammed by a fraudulent email or text message. Phishing scams, whether it’s a text message claiming you have missed a delivery and are required to pay a redelivery fee, or an email claiming to be from your bank are a common security challenges that both individuals and businesses across the UK face on a daily basis.
“If you receive an email or text message that you think might be a scam, don’t respond to it or click any links in the message or email. Instead, contact the organisation directly using contact information from the company’s official website, and not the links or numbers provided in the message itself.
“If you think you have been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040 . By reporting phishing scams or suspected fraud, you are directly helping us in our work to identify and stop these criminals and helping us protect others from these scams. ”
How to protect yourself from scam emails and texts
Received an email or text that seems suspicious? Report it. Your reports enable us to remove the emails and websites criminals use to commit fraud and cyber crime.
1: Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk . Send emails to this address that feel suspicious, even if you're not certain they're a scam - we can check.
2: Forward suspicious text messages to 7726 (it’s free of charge). Your provider can find out where the text came from and block or ban the sender.
3: If you’ve lost money or provided personal information as a result of a phishing scam, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Please note: Sometimes a forwarded email may not reach us because it is already recognised by spam detection services. You can also take a screenshot of the email and send it to report@phishing.gov.uk
Our area continues to receive unexpected door callers. Some are legitimate if not obviously so, and some are not. There are details below of two recent examples.
When you receive an unexpected caller always ask for their identify and some proof, such as a photocard with the organisation they represent. If you have any doubts about the caller check with the organisation itself. BT for example should know if they representatives in the area. If you feel pressured or uncomfortable do not open the door, or close the door on them if you already have.
If threatened, or you feel threatened, call the police on "999" once safely inside
We will be hosting a knowledge night on dealing with this type of scam later in the year across several Police Liaison Groups.
Prior to Christmas there were concerns raised on several roads when doorstep sellers in the area were thought to be from British Telecom (BT). A resident did inform the police who visited and made a check partly because doorstep selling was not considered to be a thing BT would do. This occurred in three local Neighbourhood Watch areas that I am aware of.
Two men made the visits. We contacted BT via Twitter to discover that BT are actually employing a third-party company, “Money Expert” who undertake these visits. They do so with the aim of obtaining your details to enable BT sales to make follow up calls to you. The goal is to sell BT products (internet access, Wi-Fi).
Complaints have been sent to BT regarding the sellers not displaying identification.
However, they have not yet responded. Also, it is reported that part of the sales pitch is to ask to see your mobile phone. BT are also being questioned on this. Following discussions with two telecoms technical professionals in our area, it is not understood as to why they need to see a mobile. Checking the speed of a telephone Wi-Fi connection in a house is not the same as checking the internet speed. Once we get an answer to this question an update will appear here.
Before falling to a salesman's pitch the following may help. I produced a guide to “Wirelessly Good Neighbours” previously for NSMRA. It is helpful for optimally setting up your home network. I have updated the document and it can be found here.
I am working on a document to demonstrate how to test and troubleshoot your own WiFi and Internet connections. Once complete it will be shared via the website.
There are many scams surrounding PayPal. You can read about many of them here.
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is running a campaign to raise awareness of job scams and employment fraud.
Job scams are extremely prevalent in the current job market, and it’s important that job seekers are made aware of potential scams, and what to look out for when identifying a potentially fraudulent job advert.
This is a lucrative market for scammers, and their aim is to enable job seekers to recognise potential scams, and ensure they are aware of how to report them.
The DBS campaign web site is here.
For many of us, today’s home is a very convenient and smart place to live, with more and more devices responding to a tap in an app or the sound of your voice.
However, every device that’s connected to your Wi-Fi is also transmitting data which could be of interest to criminals, not least your speakers, voice assistants, cameras, intruder alarms, cameras, door locks and security lighting. To find out how to protect your smart devices, read the Get Safe Online advice in the link here.
You can download a small brochure for reading here.
Every time you use visit a website, send or receive a message or email, buy or book anything online, comment on a post, upload a photo or find directions on your phone, you’re adding to your digital footprint.
The internet provides many positive experiences, but we could probably all benefit from thinking more about the trail we leave online.
Your digital footprint is part of your online history and can potentially be seen by other people, or tracked and held in multiple databases, however careful you are with your privacy settings.
This month the Get Safe Online campaign considers what might happen as a result of your digital footprint, and provides tips and advice on what you can do to protect your digital trail. Please visit the link here for further information.
You can download a small brochure for reading here.
Criminals are targeting WhatsApp users by posing as a friend and asking for a security code. Action Fraud has received over 60 reports relating to this scam.
The scam begins when a criminal gets access to another WhatsApp account which has you listed as a contact.
The criminal, posing as your friend or someone that’s a member of a WhatsApp group you’re in, will then send you seemingly normal messages to try and start a conversation with you. However, around the same time you will receive a text message from WhatsApp with a six-digit code. This is because the criminal has been trying to login to WhatsApp using your mobile number. The criminal will claim that they sent you their code by accident and ask you to help them by sending it to them. Once the criminal has this code, they can login to your WhatsApp account and lock you out.
The criminal will then use the same tactic with your WhatsApp contacts in an effort to steal more accounts and use them to perpetrate fraud.
What you need to do:
Set up two-step verification to give an extra layer of protection to your account: Tap Settings : Account : Two-step verification : Enable.
THINK. CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity.
Never share your account’s activation code (that’s the 6 digit code you receive via SMS)
You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.
If you have been a victim of fraud or cyber crime, report it to Action Fraud or 0300 123 2040.
Large community and religious WhatsApp groups are being targeted by scammers who infiltrate them to try and deceive their members into sending them money. Since January of this year, 268 people have reported falling victim to this scam.
The fraud often begins when a member of the group receives a WhatsApp audio call from the fraudster, pretending, or claiming, to be a member of the group. This is done in order to gain the individual’s trust, and often the scammer will use a false profile picture and / or display name, so at first glance it would appear to be a genuine member of the group.
The fraudster will then call the victim and say they are sending a one-time passcode which will allow them to join an upcoming video call for group members. The scammer then asks the victim to share this passcode with them so they can be “registered” for the video call. What’s really happening is that the scammer is asking for a registration code to register the victim’s WhatsApp account to a new device where they then “port” their WhatsApp profile over.
Once the fraudster has access to the victim’s WhatsApp account, they will enable two-step verification which makes it impossible for the victim to access their account. The scammer will then message other members of the group, or friends and family in the victim’s contacts, asking them to transfer money urgently as they are in desperate need of help.
Oliver Shaw, Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) said:
“WhatsApp continues to be a popular platform for community and religious groups, but sadly also for fraudsters. Here, the scammers rely on the goodwill of group members and their intrinsic desire to help others in distress.
“We urge people always to be wary when receiving contact via WhatsApp or other messaging platforms. This is particularly the case when being asked to provide account information – despite the fact that you may recognise the individual’s profile picture and / or name.
“Never share your account information with anyone, and if you think it’s a fraudulent approach, report the message and block the sender within WhatsApp. To make your account more secure, we advise setting up two-step verification to provide an extra layer of protection. This makes it increasingly more difficult for fraudsters to gain access to somebody else’s WhatsApp account”.
Analysis of Action Fraud reports indicate that victims targeted by this scam are often part of large WhatsApp community, alumni and academic, work groups, and religious groups (such as church or prayer groups).
What can you do to avoid being a victim?
Never share your account’s two-factor authentication (2FA) code (that’s the six digit code you receive via SMS).
Set up two-step verification to give an extra layer of protection to your account. Tap Settings : Account :Two-step verification : Enable.
THINK. CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity.
You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.
If you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, report it at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
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Which? magazine has highlighted some scams:
Parking app scams where drivers are tricked into signing up for expensive subscriptions
Rogue advertisers are setting up recurring payments - read here.
Amazon delivery One Time Password scam: click here to read about this particular scam.
Which? have provided their 10 tips to stop a scam email, which includes some simple ways to check the validity of a web address.
You can view their recommendations here.
If you have details of a scam you can share with via Which? using the link here.
I will be publishing the scams we are made aware of from Which? going forward on our Scam information page (here). However you can sign up to get them directly from Which? here. I recommend the direct sign up as it does mean that you will receive the warnings quicker.
Action Fraud has received 752 reports in four days relating to fake emails purporting to be from Ofgem.
The emails state that the recipient is eligible for a rebate as a result of a newly announced government scheme. The links in the emails lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal your personal and financial information.
Please view their tweet to see a screenshot of the fake emails reported to Action Fraud: View Tweet here
• Remember, your bank, or any other official organisation, won’t ask you to share personal information over email or text. If you need to check that it’s a genuine message, contact the company using details from their official website or app.
• Spotted a suspicious email? Forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) - report@phishing.gov.uk
This scam is when a person receives a call from someone claiming to be from the Council. They claim to be working on installing insulation to homes in the Borough. They will attempt to make an appointment to inspect your home but will also ask for personal details e.g. bank account information. It is important to remember that council officers will never ask for personal details.
If you do receive a call as described, take the officers details e.g. name, department and telephone number and tell them you call back later to confirm the appointment.
Then call the Council’s Customer Contact Centre on 020 8891 1411 . They will be able to put you through to the appropriate team to ensure that the person calling is legitimate.
The BBC have reported that criminals are looking to defraud consumers by posing as well-known delivery companies. The warning came from the banking trade body UK Finance.
Fraudsters have been sending emails saying they have not been able to deliver goods, and then ask for a fee to rearrange the delivery.
They then try to extract financial details which are used to commit fraud. A different approach but similar outcome to the COVID-19 food scam where they get to your bank details.
Again if this happens to you or if you hear of a neighbour, friend or family member please advise them to contact the Police. Do this via the 101 number or 999 if the suspect is still nearby and give a description of the offender. If bank details have been givem, please get them to contact the bank immediately.
The full BBC report can be found here.
A serious scam with potentially very embarassing outcome has been highlgihted using SnapChat social media. Details can be found here.
The Tesco scam mail on the right was picked up by Internet Security software, keeping it out of the main mailbox.
The scam is “phishing” – it sought the intended victim to put in Bank details.
The software spotted that the “To” and “From” addresses were the same.
Also a give away is the address itself, which appears to be from an Ivy League United States of America University, not Tescos..
Another factor is the inconsistent English. Both “You are” and “you’re” appear. Alone that is not proof of a scam but it is a warning to be headed and make someone check the rest of the message.
The TV licence one, shown here without the mail address, had the same “give away” as the Tesco one.
The “To” and “From” were the same address, indicating it is almost certainly a scam.
The real TV licencing will always use your name and the From address will always include “DONOTREPLY” at the start.
The Licensing advice pages can be found here.
There are people who try to defraud you at your front door. This area has one well known culprit who is regularly incarcerated but tends to return to the same trick on release. He is very polished having been running this trick for many years, and based on NextDoor postings still manages to surprise people.
His patter is to request money to get to the hospital or similar so he can visit his father/sick relative who just happens to be one of your neighbours on the road. He may use a real name or make a guess based on the fact that many people do not know the names of people more than a few doors away. Slight variations on the theme occur.
If you are approached in this way and you do not know the person, do not give money, close your door and do contact the police. If the person is genuine they will appreciate the help the police may give them.
A common street fraud in this area, from Kew to St Margaret’s Road, is a woman who asks for money so she can get a can to carry petrol to her car, or to take a can to get petrol, because she has run out. She has been running this, and similar worded, scams for some time, including outside the Ailsa Tavern. If you are approached please decline and report her presence to the police.
If you are planning on buying tickets to an event take time to read Get Safe Online's advice on purchasing tickets online safely. THeir website can be found here.
Whether it's cricket, tennis or a concert, however desperate you are, don’t buy tickets from anyone apart from official vendors, the box office or reputable fan reseller sites. .
The video shows how Richmond Police are concerned about a bogus police phone scam that is happening in the Richmond community where victims are tricked into handing over large amounts of cash. You can watch it by clicking here. There are variations on this theme.
Potential targets are contacted on their home phone by the suspect who pretends to be a police officer, bank employee or someone in a fraud investigation role. They inform the target that their credit or debit cards have been used in a fraud. They continue to convince the target that they are genuine by telling them to call 999 or the bank fraud number on the back of the card. Once the target dials this number, they are instructed to provide their bank PIN and other personal details. The target is advised that a courier will attend and collect the card for forensic examination. A courier, usually an unwitting taxi company, attends to pick up the card(s) and takes it to a location and is met by a further suspect who takes possession of the cards. The cards are then used to withdraw cash from an ATM.
The average age of victims is around 70, there is some targeting of senior citizens
There are variations on this theme
• The target is told that their account contains counterfeit money and is asked to attend their bank and withdraw a large sum for the purpose of a police investigation. The target then attends the bank, withdraws money and returns home. A courier arrives and collects the cash.
• The offender contacts the victim pretending to be a police officer investigating an offence and requesting assistance. The victim is collected from their address and taken on a 'shopping spree' and told to hand items to the fraudsters.
How It Works
The scammers make the call to the target’s home. They sound genuine as they are asking them to call a legitimate number, such as the Police or Bank and then the target hangs up but that does not break the call as it is in-coming. Hanging up does not automatically end the call. The scammer keeps their line open. The target then picks up the phone to dial the Bank/Police and the call goes nowhere as they are still connected to the scammer. They will pretend to be the people the target is trying to contact and get them hand over cards or cash to the courier.
What to do
When you pick up the phone to make a call after receiving one do check if there is a dial tone. If there is not then the other end has not hung up.
Please be aware of the following:
• Your bank will never attend your home
• Your bank and the police will never collect your bank card
• Your bank and the police will never ask for your PIN
Action Fraud has received many reports about fake emails that purport to be from Virgin Media. The emails threaten the recipient with “automatic disconnection” due to “invalid billing information”. The links in the emails lead to genuine-looking phishing websites that are designed to steal your Virgin Media account login details. You may hear this also for British Gas, British Telecom etc.
The BT version of this scam has now been updated to using an automated message to get you to return a call on an expensive premium rate line. This is something BT would not do
This scam preying on people feeling vulnerable originated during the lockdowns but still applies now.
The scam took place in East Sheen on Tuesday 31st March 2020 and the warning was reported from a carer’s organisation in the borough. Please be aware of potential distraction burglaries or other scams.
A call was received from a Carer to report this/ She told her client answered the door to two people who said they were from an organisation called ‘Take you for a walk’.? They had canvas bags with a ’Take you for a walk’ logo on it and they encouraged the lady to go with them ‘for a walk’.
I have no detail if the attempt to get the lady to vacate her house was successful or not.
Users of Briish Gas's Hive home heating and security service have been warned about a phishing scam with people emailing pretending to be from the company. Hive have created their own guide as to how to check on the caller. Details are here
A neighbouring Safer Neighbourhood Team has distributed a flyer on dealing with phone scams which may increase as people are at home. It is an easy to follow piece of advice and you can view it by clicking here.
A warning from the MET's Cyber Crime Unit:
There has been a rise in the amount of “Sextortion” phishing emails recently.
Sextortion scams are a type of phishing attack whereby people are coerced to pay a Bitcoin ransom because they have been threatened with sharing video of themselves visiting adult websites.
These scams are made to appear all the more credible because they provide seemingly plausible technical details about how this was achieved, and the phish can sometimes also include the individual’s password.
For more information please click here.
There are excellent recommendations in the link regarding password security and actions.
Similar to the Virgin disconnection scam, the emails contain links that are attempting to steal your login data. It can vary to other suppliers like BT, British Gas, Sky etc. Do not click on the links or attachments in these or suspicious emails, and never respond to messages that ask for your personal or financial details.
Your Neighbourhood Watch representative is STEPHEN LLOYD. Contact him by email at neighbourhoodwatch@nsmranw.org
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