Get Safe Online Week is held during October each year and this year the focus is on you, the Internet and Trust. In order to go online with safety and confidence, it’s important to get to know who and what you can trust. We’ve all either experienced at first hand or heard about negative experiences including online fraud or abuse which are, unfortunately, all too commonplace.
In this edition of my regular looks at Scams I am going to take a look at some of the many examples of scams out there and how you can avoid becoming a victim yourself. You can find all of our previous email alerts and information on our website, https://spirecomputerhelp.wordpress.com/ where I have given you details on some of the methods used in these scams plus other scams to watch out for.
Fraudsters are using celebrities such as Chris Packham, Jeremy Clarkson and Martin Lewis to endorse fake products, savings schemes or crypto currency. In many cases these appear as fake social media articles or emails, but criminals are increasingly turning to AI to fake the words spoken in video.
Criminals are impersonating major brands and household names like Amazon, Microsoft, iCloud, Center Parcs, Banks and Spotify, telling people, for instance, that their subscriptions have failed in an attempt to steal bank details.
Text messages are also used to impersonate organisations such as The DVLA, TV Licensing, HMRC. These TXT messages will usually contain links to fake, authentic looking websites where criminals will again try and steal your bank details.
Even if someone doesn’t use the Internet or a mobile phone, criminals are using phone calls impersonating the likes of BT, Talktalk, Virgin and Sky asking for bank details as part of the digital switchover telling people their line will be disconnected.
Emails are often used for scams, often offering things like energy saving information, from cheap tariffs to heat pump schemes. These scams will often use official logos and images to make their emails look authentic.
Fake online adverts on social media like Facebook will offer cheap products like the new iPhone or a Christmas themed fake advert has already been seen offering a £350 Joe Malone Advent Calendar for £30. Criminals will stop at nothing to try and fool you into believing their story. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
In my last email about parking I warned about fake QR codes on parking meters. There have also been reports of fake adverts being used for car parking Apps like RingGo, JustPark and PayByPhone. Following the links in these adverts, users have found themselves signing up for costly subscriptions to fake entertainment packages.
Fraudsters are quick to exploit major news events to deceive unsuspecting victims. Scammers can easily set up copycat websites or social media profiles in just a matter of minutes, posing as an organisation currently in the headlines and using these platforms to trick people into various scams. Anything from winter fuel payments, retailers such as Wilco or disasters such as the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.
So, what can you trust on the Internet and how can you keep yourself safe? Follow these simple tips and avoid becoming a SCAM victim.
- Although many organisations legitimately use social media these days, for every legitimate post, there are probably 10 oe more fakes. If an advert in a social media post wants you to follow a link, for instance to check your eligibility for an energy saving scheme, go to that organisations official website instead where you will find the information you can trust.
- Likewise, if you receive a legitimate looking email or text message from an organisation wanting you to logon to your account to check or update something, don’t follow a link in the email, go directly to the organisation’s website.
- Beware where you download Apps, including parking Apps and only use official App stores like Google Play or the Apple iStore. Never download an App by following a link on social media or in an email or text message no matter how authentic or appealing it looks. Fake Apps will often contain malware that could install itself onto your computer, sending any personal details to fraudsters, including bank accounts, pin numbers and passwords.
- Beware if using a search engine to find an organisation’s website as the top results are often paid-for adverts and will not always take you to an legitimate site.
- If in doubt about a website, GetSafeOnline have a handy tool to check out whether a website is likely to be legitimate or fraudulent, at https://www.getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite/. Fake websites have often existed for only weeks.
- Beware of any phone call you get out of the blue, even if it is coming from a known phone number. A criminal can fake that. Never give any personal or financial details to someone who calls YOU. A legitimate organisation will often ask YOU to phone them back on a trusted number, for instance the number of the back of your bank card, whereas a criminal will want to keep you on the line. Hang up and call the organisation back on a number you trust. Wait 5 minutes to make sure the previous call has cleared, or if possible call them back from a different phone, a mobile for example.
- Fraudsters will often want you to act with URGENCY. That is a RED FLAG in itself. Always STOP and THINK. Ask a friend or neighbour. You can always email us and we will look into it for you.
Remember the A,B,C – Assume nothing , Believe nobody and Check everything
Take 5 to Stop Fraud – STOP | CHALLENGE | PROTECT
There are a number of ways you can report a scam:
· Forwarding suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
· Forward suspicious texts to Ofcom on 7726
· Contact Action Fraud by visiting actionfraud.police.uk or calling 0300 123 2040
· Contact Crimestoppers by visiting crimestoppers-uk.org
If you believe that you have become a victim of an online scam and would like some help, contact Victim Support by visiting victimsupport.org.uk
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Getsafeonline.org has lots of advice about online safety at
https://www.getsafeonline.org
They also have a handy tool to check out whether a website is likely to be legitimate or fraudulent, at https://www.getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite/
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If you would like to receive more information about scams into your email box, you can sign up to the National Action Fraud Alert scheme run by the City of London Police.
https://www.actionfraudalert.co.uk/
Or, you can sign up for Which? Scam Alerts …
https://act.which.co.uk/page/103781/data/1
Or sign up to West Sussex County Staying Safe Online E-newsletter …
https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire-emergencies-and-crime/crime-prevention/staying-safe-online/
Article by Liam Dasey. Liam is one of our volunteer Digital Champions, but he is also a volunteer Digital Ambassador for West Sussex County Council and Get Safe Online, helping raise awareness about online safety in the community.
