All of us may be susceptible to a scam at some time.
Scams are becoming more and more convincing, and the scammer will do whatever it takes to steal your money or personal details. Anyone can become a victim regardless of background, age, and income level. All of us may be susceptible to a scam at some time.
Scams succeed because they look or sound like the real thing and catch you unaware. Scammers take advantage of advances in technology, new products, and even major events, like Freshers
to create feasible stories that will convince you to give them your money and or personal details.
Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations, and the police. They spend hours researching you hoping you’ll let your guard down for just a moment.
How to protect yourself
Be alert to the fact that scams exist – Be wary of uninvited contact from people or businesses over the phone, email, post, or social networking sites. Are they who they say they are? Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Beware of requests for money or personal details – Never send or transfer money to a safe account after receiving a cold call. Never give your credit card details, bank account details, online account details or copies of personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
Know who you are dealing with – authorities like the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will never ask for banking details like your password or PIN in the phone or in person. Police or banking representatives will never ask you to help in an investigation
Be wary of unusual payment requests – scammers will often ask you to use unusual payment methods, including gift cards (Steam, Amazon, iTunes) or virtual currency such as Bitcoin.
Pick strong passwords – Choose three random words with a mixture of upper/lower case, number and special characters. Do not use the same password across sites. Enable Two Factor Authentication (2FA) on your accounts and devices that offer it- this provides a second layer of security.
Be wary of phishing scams – Don’t click on any links or attachments in unexpected emails.
Social Media – for those of you who use social media, make sure that it is set up correctly, review your privacy settings to ensure your profile is appropriately locked down.
If a call/mail has left you concerned or panicked contact a family member or friend to discuss your concerns, never act on impulse.
Report suspicious texts by forwarding them to 7726, which spells SPAM on your keypad. If you think you’ve received a phishing email forward to report@phishing.gov.uk
If you think you’ve fallen victim to a scam contact your bank immediately and report it to Action fraud by visiting actionfraud.police.uk or calling 0300 123 2040