Fraud awareness

COVID-19 scams

When coronavirus hit the headlines, scammers didn’t waste any time finding new ways to take advantage. From urging people to buy overpriced or fake goods online like vaccines and facemasks, to targeting vulnerable people on the doorstep. Criminals want to gather as much personal information as possible so they can steal identities. Here are some coronavirus scams to be aware of that are active right now.

Vaccine fraud

There have been instances of scammers posing as NHS staff offering COVID-19 vaccinations. These could take the form of fake NHS emails, text messages, letters or even a knock on the door.

• The genuine COVID-19 vaccine will always be available free of charge.
• The NHS will never ask you to share bank details or other personal information to confirm your identity.
• You don't have to apply or register to get the vaccine.
• The NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine.

If someone contacts you about the vaccine and you're not sure they are genuine, end the conversation and contact your local GP.

Fake Government messages

Think before you click.

There have been reports of fake messages from Gov.uk about tax refunds, MOT extensions, benefits payments and fines. The messages are designed to entice you to click on a link or call a number that will divert you to a fake website or call centre where criminals will try to get your personal information.

Be cautious of unexpected emails or text messages asking you to click links or phone companies. Don’t provide any personal information unless you’re 100% sure you’re dealing with a genuine company. If in doubt, contact the company by looking-up their number, then call them back to confirm the message is really from them.

Fake sales

If something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

The week after COVID-19 officially became a pandemic, online shopping increased by 23% globally. It also saw a rise in the number of fake shopping sites selling this type of item:

• Virus testing kits.
• Miracle cures.
• Overpriced or fake goods that promise to protect you from the virus, like masks or anti-bacterial products.

People or companies offering products could be unlicensed and may not be genuine businesses.

Doorstep fraud

It’s okay to say no and to close the door.

There are lots of new groups springing up to help vulnerable people and, while most have good intentions, not all of them are genuine. You should check out anyone who’s offering services like shopping, home cleaning or medication collection to lonely or vulnerable people.

Fake news

Be careful where you get information about coronavirus. Only use government and NHS websites or reputable news outlets for the latest coronavirus information.

Phishing emails

Phishing emails look like they come from a person or organisation you trust, like a bank, credit card company or shopping website. These emails might even appear in a genuine chain of emails received from these organisations. Fraudsters use this trust to trick you into giving them personal information.

Ask yourself:

• Is it asking for personal details like your login ID, password or security questions? (At Skipton we’ll never ask for this information.)
• Is the sender’s email address different from the trusted organisation’s website address?
• Have you been addressed with your full name? ('Dear Customer' might be a sign something is wrong.)
• Does the wording include a threat? (Like 'unless you act immediately, your account may be closed'.)
• Does the email have an unexpected attachment? (If it does, don’t open it.)
• Did the email come out of the blue?

Fraudsters usually try to trick you into going to the website by saying you need to update your password to avoid your account being suspended, or the email might suggest you’ve won a prize. A link in the email itself will take you to a website that looks exactly like the genuine page. However, it's actually a fake designed to trick you into entering personal information.

If you're in any doubt, don’t open any links, attachments or respond to any requests for personal information. And if you’re unsure about an email, text message or phone call that appears to be from Skipton Building Society, call us on 0345 850 0469.

Vishing phone calls

Vishing means 'voice phishing' and involves fraudsters calling you, pretending to be a person or organisation you trust like a bank or the police. Fraudsters use your trust to trick you into giving them personal information – they might already have carried out research to find some basic personal information so they’ll sound more convincing.

• Even if you recognise the phone number, remember that it's easy for fraudsters to make any number appear on your screen.
• Be wary of someone claiming to be from the police or a government agency, asking for your account details. The police or government wouldn't ask you to pay a fee or request bank details over the phone.
• If someone asks for your PIN, online username or password, alarm bells should ring. A genuine bank or building society will never request this information from you.

If you’re unsure about an email, text message or phone call that appears to be from Skipton Building Society, call us on 0345 850 0469.

Smishing text messages

Smishing means 'SMS phishing' and involves fraudsters sending you text messages, pretending to be a person or organisation you trust.These text messages might even appear in a genuine chain of text messages you've received from these organisations before. Fraudsters use your trust to trick you into giving them personal information. They’ll usually tell you there’s been fraudulent activity on your account and will ask you to call a number or visit a fake website to update your personal details.

• If you're suspicious of the text, phone the company back on a trusted number, or visit their website by typing their web address directly into your browser.
• Don’t click on any links, or copy and paste anything from the message itself.

If you’re unsure about an email, text message or phone call that appears to be from Skipton Building Society, call us on 0345 850 0469.

Pension scams

You're at risk from pension fraud even if you're not a pensioner. Unfortunately, following government reforms introduced in April 2015, pension scams have become increasingly common.

It’s not just retirees who are affected, because defined contribution pension holders can now access their entire retirement fund from age 55. People are being encouraged to withdraw from their pensions and put money into schemes that offer large returns for a short-term investment. The 'investment' is actually deposited into a fraudulent account.

If you're under 55, you might be approached by someone promoting the benefits of early pension release schemes, and encouraged to access your pension early. The funds would actually be transferred into overseas schemes (with extortionate fees) or placed into high risk investments. And once money is transferred into an early release scheme, the scammers could take all of your pension pot.

Early pension release schemes are not authorised by HMRC and funds withdrawn will be charged anything from 55% to 70% in tax. The government only allows early access to pension funds in very limited circumstances. If you’re considering entering a scheme to access your pension before 55, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recommends seeking professional advice.

Firms, individuals and other bodies regulated by the FCA are unlikely to contact you unexpectedly or pressure you into making a decision. If they do, you should report them to the FCA straight away. If you’ve been approached by someone, you can check if they’re regulated by searching the Financial Services Register online – there's no charge.

If you're approached about your pension, warning signs include:

• being contacted out of the blue with cold calls, texts, emails or by door-to-door salespeople
• feeling pressurised into making a quick decision by pushy sales techniques
• being told you're being offered the best deals, like guaranteed returns.

Identity theft

Criminals will use a stolen identity to obtain goods or services by deception. Victims often don't even notice the fraud until they receive an unexpected bill or start having problems with their credit rating.

If fraudsters can find out enough information about you, they can impersonate you and open new accounts, credit cards or loans in your name. Or they might take control of your existing accounts by impersonating you and changing the address of your account.

• Always dispose of unwanted documents securely, for instance by shredding. Fraudsters use paper documents like bank statements and mobile phone bills, and they might even go through your bins.

Information you post online can leave you vulnerable. Fraudsters use social media to gather information about people from social media too – addresses, children's names, pets' names and check-in locations.

• Review your social media privacy settings regularly, including updating passwords on phones and personal computers. Don't share too much personal information

If you think your identity might have been stolen – speak up. People who experience identity theft can feel embarrassed about being misled. But don’t be: scammers are extremely cunning and can deceive anyone.

Investment fraud

If you're being bombarded with phone calls, letters or emails pressuring you to invest quickly, you might have been targeted by investment scammers. They might also send you glossy brochures and investment certificates. Scammers deliver a polished sales pitch and often present offers as ‘exclusive’ and tell you not to discuss them with anyone else. They offer investments in ‘unique commodities’ like wine, land banking, carbon credits, diamonds and graphite. Potential victims will be promised high returns but these will usually be worthless.

Share fraud and boiler room scams

Victims are sold overpriced or non-existent shares, usually with the promise of high returns. The fraudsters are usually highly trained and employ high pressure sales tactics to convince you to invest with them. They'll provide convincing statistics with a very short timescale to make a decision. Some will advertise in national press and set up fake or cloned company websites.

Some scammers pretend to be from authorised companies and will cold-call investors to promote investment opportunities that are non-tradable, worthless, over-priced or non-existent. They use the name and Financial Conduct Authority register number of a real company to appear genuine. If you feel suspicious about a firm that has approached you, check their registration number on the FCA website. The FCA register also tells you the switchboard number of the real firm, which you can call to check if the contact you’ve received is genuine or not.

Unregulated investments

You might be offered an investment opportunity from a firm that isn't regulated by the FCA. Please be cautious: if they’re unregulated, you have no protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, and you will be unable to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service if something goes wrong.

Cheque fraud

This happens when someone gives you a cheque they know you can’t cash. There are several variations of this scam, for example:

Protect yourself by:

Please speak to us if you have any worries about cheque fraud.

Money mule

A Money Mule is someone who helps criminals launder money. Money Mules can be willing participants who know about the crime, or they might be tricked into it.

Innocent people will be persuaded into receiving money into their own accounts, then sending the money on. They'll usually be given a payment or ‘salary’ for doing this, and might have been led to believe they've been employed by a legitimate company.

Money laundering is the process of making illegally-gained finances appear legal. The funds are normally from the proceeds of crime. Money Mules could be criminally prosecuted for carrying out the transactions, their accounts could be closed and they could be held liable for the value of the transactions they received.

If you've got any concerns about being asked to carry out transactions through your own account on another person's behalf, please speak to us. Alternatively, report it to the police by calling the Action Fraud line on 0300 123 2040.

Doorstep crime

Often these cases begin with unsolicited visits from trade or salespeople at home. They might claim to have identified home maintenance problems just by looking at your property from the outside.

They may talk about doing work for neighbours or offering you a significant discount for paying cash. They may even mention government schemes or grants.

Points to look out for:

• Being approached on your doorstep
• Pressure to make a decision quickly
• Being asked to pay in cash

Remember

• Reputable firms will never approach you out of the blue to have work done that you didn't contact them about.
• Reputable firms will issue an invoice which clearly states the work being done and the prices materials and labour.
• Reputable firms are unlikely to ask you to pay in cash or upfront.

You can check whether a firm is reputable and reliable using one of the many trade checking websites available online.

If you've been a victim contact your local Trading Standards and report it to them.

They'll try to pressure you into agreeing to expensive work. They'll usually ask for payment or a large deposit upfront. An individual may even try to gain money by befriending potential victims to gain their trust.

If you agree to this kind of scam, the work might never be started or, if work begins, might be done badly.

Romance Scams

Romance scammers pretend to be lonely hearts on social media or dating websites so they can build relationships with people.

Scammers spend a great deal of time and effort on building up trust. They’re often very flattering and their interest in the victim becomes intense quickly. When the fraudsters are confident that you have fallen for them, they will make up a problem and ask you to help out by sending money.

For example:

• they might arrange to visit you but need money towards travel costs. Or they’ve paid for a plane/train ticket which is then stolen
• a family member or someone else they are responsible for is desperately ill and they need money for medical treatment
• once you send them money, the fraudsters will keep coming back with more reasons to send them money.

If you think you’ve become a victim

Scammers are very clever, so there’s no shame in being caught out. It’s important that you take action when you feel something isn’t right:

• break off any relationship immediately and stop any pending money transfers or cheques
• discuss your concerns with your friends and/or family who can help and support you
• report via Action Fraud
• if you feel threatened, contact the police
• report the person to the social media/dating website administrators.

How to avoid romance scammers

Romance scams rely on the victim trusting enough to not double check the information they’re given. So if you’re unsure about the person you’re speaking to:

• don’t be convinced by profile pictures – do some research
• check whether they’re on other social media sites
• do a reverse image search using TinEye or reverse.photos
• be wary about sharing contact details outside of the dating app or website
• think about why someone would be so quick to declare their love
• never agree to send money to someone you haven’t met in person
• talk to your friends and/or family. Isolating you is a common tactic of these scammers.

Remember: If it seems too good to be true, then it almost definitely is.

If you’re unsure about where you’re sending money – romance scam or not – it’s always a good idea to trust your instincts and ask for advice. We are here to help you. Get in touch either by phone or online, using the buttons below.

Holiday scams

A well-deserved holiday is the highlight of the year for lots of people. And this year especially, after lockdowns, restrictions and cancellations, the demand for holidays is huge. That’s why it’s such an inviting prospect for scammers and why it’s important that we all take more care when booking.

Fraudsters often rely on people being so eager to book that they pay less attention when spending their money. Instead of a nice holiday, they’re left disappointed and out of pocket. It’s probably more common than you’d think as well, with fraudsters costing holiday makers and travellers millions of pounds each year.

Here are a few ways that fraudsters target holiday makers:

Fake tickets and accommodation: Fraudsters create listings on websites for accommodation they don’t own or fraudulent tickets for flights. In the UK, this can be quite common for caravan staycations, which can be a popular holiday choice for lots of our customers.

Cancellation and refund scams: Using common scamming methods such as phishing emails, cold calls and social media messaging, criminals pretend to be holiday companies offering people refunds. The scammers will steal information from the victim by asking them to click on a link or enter their details to claim their repayment.

Free tours or exclusive access: Scammers invite people to purchase a tour of a city or location, but when the customer turns up, they’re left waiting.

Some top tips to help avoid holiday scams

• Don’t take a website or social media profile on face value. Make sure that the website address is exactly as you’d expect, and that they have the padlock symbol before the http or www.
• Do your research. Using websites like tripadvisor.co.uk to check for reviews can be a good start, but you can also search google for the name of the travel agent or accommodation owner to see if people have used them before.
• Look for an authority logo. Companies that have an ABTA or ATOL logo are regulated so should be more reliable. Don’t take it as a given though – you can check whether a company is really a member by visiting the ABTA Member Search page (for ABTA) or the CAA Website (for ATOL).
• Use a credit card where you can and never pay directly into a private individuals bank account.
• Trust your instincts. If the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.

As always, we’re here to help you keep your money safe. If you’d like any more information, or you think you may have lost some of your Skipton savings to a scammer, get in touch with our team today.