Category: Scammer

June 14, 2018

Automated Scam Calls

PPI callers and many others have been using automated systems for years that call and ask you questions then get you to press a button to be connected to an agent.

Automated systems are a lot cheaper than staff so for the criminals engaged in large scale scamming, this can be the most efficient way.

Action Fraud Technical Support Scam Calls

Action Fraud say people are receiving cold-calls from fraudsters claiming to represent Action Fraud. When the calls are answered, an automated voice asks the responder to “press 1 if you have made a report to Action Fraud.” When the responder presses 1, they are transferred to a fraudster.

Victims are informed that their computers have been hacked, which has led to their online bank account being compromised and funds being withdrawn. One particular victim was told that £40,000 had fraudulently left their account.

The scammer may ask for remote access to the victim’s computer, via a remote access tool. Once the scammer has that, they may be able to access confidential information, login and passwords, credit card details etc.

HMRC

The scam sees people called randomly with an automated message warning that they are under investigation by HMRC and need to call the number given or “face serious legal consequences.”

If you call back the crooks will likely ask for your bank details and make off with your money.

HMRC does not make threatening phone calls. HMRC will call people about outstanding tax bills, and sometimes use automated messages, however it would include your taxpayer reference number.

Talk Talk Example

“I have had an automated phone call from this number 081233472243. It was informing me that my internet connection would be cut at 1pm today, press button 1 to speak to an agent or button 2 to stay connected. I chose to hang up.

This is the first time I have had an automated call, I have had a lot of calls lately concerning my internet connection, I always hang up or sometimes they hang up when I tell them I don’t believe they’re from TalkTalk. They always ask me to turn my computer on, I always refuse.”

Good job she didn’t fall for the scam.

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June 13, 2018

The State of Scamming in Australia

Government statistics show that 161,528 reports of scammers were raised with the Australian Authorities in 2017, of which 8.7% involves financial loss.

Total lost estimated to be $90 million.

The biggest chunk of this was to investment scams (approx. $34M), then dating and romance scams (approx. $22M), then business and employment scams (approx.$7M).

Following those were advance fee fraud, buying and selling scams, false billing, inheritance scams, remote access scams, threats to life and finally betting scams.

The age group that lost the most money was the over 65s.

The most common scams reported are:-

Phishing
Identity theft
False billing
Lottery scams
Buying and selling scams
Rebate scams
Remote access scams
Advance fee Fraud
Threats to Life
Online Shopping Scams

Beware of those scammers.

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June 7, 2018

World Cup Football Scams

The 2018 FIFA World Cup, which takes place from 14 June – 15 July will hopefully provide a festival of great sport and entertainment and a memorable event for millions. But it is also an opportunity for fraudsters to take advantage of unsuspecting fans.

Tickets for the World Cup 2018 can only be purchased directly from FIFA (www.FIFA.com/tickets).

But scammers will offer tickets, flights, accommodation etc. to fans desperate to make the trip and see the football Live. Most people know that buying tickets from anyone but FIFA is a risk, but many will do so.

For the last world cup in 2014, over 600 reports were made to Action Fraud regarding fake tickets and more.

The worldwide demand for match tickets, accommodation and flight tickets throughout the competition is expected to be very high.

Fraudsters will typically:-

Pretend to be Official World Cup ticket vendors
Place adverts claiming to be private individuals attempting to sell on a match ticket
Setup fake websites offering non-existent flights or other transport to host cities
Create fake accommodation booking services and hotels offering seemingly convenient accommodation in one of the host cities for the dates of the games
Make fake lotteries or competitions claiming that you’ve won a prize or cash related to the tournament

Director of Action Fraud, Pauline Smith, said that fraudsters will try every trick in the book to take advantage of people at what should be an exciting time and event. “If you think you have been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud.”

FIFA has warned people:-

“FIFA regards the illicit sale and distribution of tickets as a very serious issue and it is reminding all football fans that FIFA.com/tickets is the only official and legitimate website from which to buy 2018 FIFA World Cup tickets. For hospitality tickets the online official source is: https://hospitality.fifa.com/hospitality2018.

“FIFA has received various complaints and inquiries by customers of non-authorised ticket sales platforms, and has consistently confirmed that these companies cannot guarantee access to the stadiums as the respective tickets may be cancelled. Customers are at risk of investing a high amount of money (also for travelling and accommodation) without having the certainty of actually being able to attend the matches.”

A FAN ID and a valid ticket are required for fans to be able to enter the 2018 FIFA World Cup stadiums. For more information, please visit www.fan-id.ru.

Buy tickets only from the venue’s box office, sports club, promoter, official agent or reputable ticket exchange sites

Remember that tickets advertised on any other source such as auction sites, social media and fan forums may be fake or non-existent, however authentic the seller may seem and even if they’re advertised at or above face value

Never pay for tickets by bank transfer, even if you’re desperate to get hold of them. With the abolition of credit card payment surcharges, some sellers may ask you do this. The responsibility for losses lies with you, your bank won’t refund your money.

If you have any experiences with scammers, spammers or time-waster do let me know, by email.

May 11, 2018

Major Hacker Arrested

A team of covert officers tracked the hacker named “Courvoisier” and while he was using the computer in the first class carriage on a train from Rhyl to London officers pounced on him, seizing the unlocked computer.

The arrest was captured on the train’s CCTV. On the laptop they found the financial information of more than 100,000 people.

The hacker (real name Grant West) operated out of a caravan in Kent, to attack the UK’s top companies, obtain personal and bank card details which he then sold on the dark web (i.e. to criminals over the Internet). Officers found approximately 78 million individual usernames and passwords and 63,000 credit and debit card details stored on an SD card in his caravan.

With the help of his girlfriend Rachael Bookes, he carried out cyber-attacks on up to 500 companies – including Sainsbury’s, Nectar, Groupon, AO.com, Ladbrokes, Coral Betting, Uber, Vitality, RS Feva Class Association 2017, Asda, the British Cardiovascular Society, Mighty Deals Limited, Truly Experiences Ltd, T Mobile, M R Porter, the Finnish Bitcoin exchange, and Argos.

In 2015, he managed to obtain the email addresses of 165,000 people and then sent a phishing email masquerading as Just Eat in an attempt to trick people into handing over their personal details, costing the company £200,000 to sort out.

The case is the first time the Met Police have seized criminal property in the form of cyber-currency.

He made at least 47,000 sales of data through the dark web, police said following a two-year investigation.

Case officer DC Helen Foster said the fraud came to light after a referral from Action Fraud who said customers from Just Eat had complained about a ‘phishing email’.

The emails, sent out to customers, purported to be a survey that would give the customer a £10 voucher to use on the site. But unsuspecting punters were handing over more of their personal details which West then sold on the Dark Web.

Once he had a complete set of customer details he would sell them on via the now-defunct online dark web market Alpha Bay.

Police say West made more than £180,000 from the scam. The proceeds from his business were converted into Bitcoins.

Well done the cops.

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April 19, 2018

Travel Scam Warning

£6.7 million lost to holiday booking fraud

Fraudsters stole £6.7 million from 4,700 unsuspecting holidaymakers and other travellers in 2017, a report by ABTA reveals.

The effects are often much more than simply stolen money with almost half (2,245) of victims saying that it also had had a significant impact on their health or financial well-being.

The most common types of travel fraud relate to the sale of airline tickets (47%) and accommodation booking (38%).

These are only the reported figures of course as many people do not report that they’ve been scammed.

The numbers of people reporting travel fraud to the police jumps in the summer and in December. This is a clear indication that fraudsters are targeting the peak holiday periods and the people heading home to visit friends and family.

The visiting friends and family market is particularly attractive to fraudsters offering fake flight tickets and package arrangements. Where destinations were reported by victims, 54% said they had been intending to travel to Africa and 24% to Asia.

The Most Common Travel Booking Frauds

Holiday accommodation – holiday accommodation fraudsters set up fake websites, hack into legitimate accounts and post fake adverts on websites and social media.
Airline tickets – where a customer believes they are booking a flight but receive a fake ticket or they pays for a ticket that never turns up. In 2017, flights to Africa and the Indian sub-continent were particularly targeted.
Sports and religious trips– a popular target for fraud due to limited availability of tickets and consequently higher prices.
Caravanning – Action fraud reported a number of consumers reporting being the victim of fraud relating to mobile home holidays.

Top tips to avoid becoming a travel fraud victim

Stay safe online: Check the web address is legitimate and has not been altered by slight changes to a domain name – such as going from .co.uk to .org
Do your research: Do a thorough online search to check the company’s credentials. If a company is defrauding people there is a good chance that consumers will post details of their experiences, and warnings about the company.
Look for the logo: Check whether the company is a member of a recognised trade body such as ABTA. If you have any doubts, you can verify membership of ABTA online, at www.abta.com.
Wherever possible, pay by credit card and be wary about paying directly into a private individual’s bank account.
Check documentation: You should study terms and conditions and be very wary of any companies that don’t provide any at all. When booking through a Holiday Club or Timeshare, get the contract thoroughly vetted by a solicitor before signing up.
Use your instincts: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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February 12, 2018

Common Valentine’s Day Scams

Many scammers try to take advantage of holidays, events or anything in the news and as it’s Valentine’s Day soon, currently they go for that.

Scam #1: Valentine’s Day E-Card

There’s always lots of ads for electronic cards (e-cards) and especially around public holidays. If you want to try sending such cards – it’s better to find a website yourself rather than clicking on an advert.

If you receive what seems to be a Valentine’s e-card then be careful as many are created by scammers and sent out by the million. Rather than clicking the link to see the e-card – hover your cursor over the link and see if it does link to the website you expect. If it does then go to the website (do not click the link) and see if there is a card waiting for you. This doesn’t guarantee the e-card is safe but does exclude most forms of the scam.

Scam #2: Valentine’s Gift Cards

A Valentine’s gift card may seem a good idea and the adverts try to convince you they are the safest way to please someone.

But many are scams so beware inputting any confidential details and paying online. Make sure the site is a reputable one.

Scam #3: Buying Flowers Online

If you look on the Internet there are many choices of flower shop offering to deliver the perfect Valentine’s day surprise, but there are also pop up scam flower shops. Many offer beautiful bouquets at amazing prices (photos copied from a legitimate site of course) and some are taken in by this.

Always pick a reputable seller – preferably with well-known bricks and mortar branches around the country or at least one that has been around for some time and built a good reputation.

Scam #4. Online Dating

For some, this is a time to turn to online dating to look for the right partner. There is a huge array of websites and APPS offering to find your Mr Right or Miss Right, but there are also many new such sites and APPS appearing all of the time. Many of these are legitimate and do a good job but some are scam sites simply looking for confidential information and your credit card details.

Choose a site or APP that has a good reputation rather than a bargain offer.

Once in the world of online dating there are many scammers who post fake profiles and try to hook up with a number of people. They create very appealing profiles but their intention is to form a bond very quickly then start to get money from you – maybe a small gift or help to pay translation costs or money to visit you.

These people will likely research you online by looking at any profiles and posts on social media so they can see what you would like and use that to entice you further into a relationship.

If someone you have never met professes undying love for you then it’s going to be a scam.

Scam #5. Social Media Posts

Posting romantic moments on social media is very popular this time of year – but be careful before you click on any poems, letters , quizzes, surveys etc. directed to you on social media.

APPS on Facebook and other sites are not necessarily as safe as you expect, especially not just because they are about romance.

Stay safe.

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