Is it a scam?
There has been a huge increase in scams throughout the pandemic and they are getting more sophisticated by the day. They can be difficult to recognise, but there are a few things you can look out for to help you spot them.
Read on to find out how to recognise a scam with advice from Citizen’s Advice.
It might be a scam if:
Staying safe online:
- It’s too good to be true.
- You don’t know the person and they contact you unexpectedly.
- They don’t have a company address.
- You’ve been asked for bank details or to transfer money quickly.
- If they ask for personal information such as passwords, bank details, pin numbers etc.
- If it is a legitimate request, for example from your bank, they won’t have a problem if you ask them to confirm their details or if you ask to call back on a number you know. It is always better to be careful and take your time rather than have to deal with it when it’s too late.
- Don’t click on any links you don’t trust.
- Be careful giving personal information away.
- Make sure your online accounts are secure and use two-step authentication where possible.
Find out about recent scams
Some recent scams include:
To find out about any recent scams, you can sign up to the Trading Standards email alert. Age UK also update their Latest Scams page if you’d like to check out something that seems suspicious.
- Royal Mail text – if you receive a text appearing to be from Royal Mail asking you to pay for postage costs, block and delete the message. You will receive a note through the post if you have missed a parcel.
- Council tax refund scam – you may get an email or text saying you are owed £150. Do not click any links in the email or text. Your £150 will either be credited to your account directly or you will be sent a letter with details on how to claim.
- Covid test scams – if you receive any sales calls or texts about covid tests, check with your GP first to see if the calls or texts are legitimate.
Be careful, and if you suspect something isn’t right, do some research or get in touch with a scam prevention service, such as the one provided by Age UK.