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It’s safe to say most us have received scam texts or calls, especially during lockdown.
And this week, many Brits have been targeted by a Royal Mail scam, where fraudsters are asking people to pay “unpaid shipping fees” via texts.
But once the link inside the fake text is clicked, people are asked to enter their bank details into a fraudulent website.
Known as an “impersonation scam”, it has been highlighted as one of the most popular emerging scams in a report by personal finance experts, Ocean Finance
Ocean Finance submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the National Fraud Authority (NFA) and surveyed 1,000 Brits about their financial fraud knowledge.
It revealed that there were 1,467,962 instances of fraud reported between 2018-2020 with a 12% rise throughout 2020. And of those who have been scammed, 1/3 (33%) of fraud victims have lost over £1,001.
But despite this, 56% of Brits admit to not doing anything or learning more to protect themselves from the most common financial scams.
Ocean Finance also asked Brits which emerging scams they’re worried about:
1. ‘Romance Scams’
92% of Brits are not worried about this scam enough.
This is where fraudsters create a fake online dating profile and build enough trust to ask for money or enough personal information to steal your identity. Lockdown has left many Brits feeling alone, and some may have turned to online dating. Whilst many Brits may believe they’re too savvy for this scam, 400 of these scams are reported to Action Fraud, per month.
2.‘Boiler Room Scams’
91% of Brits are not worried about this scam enough
A classic “too good to be true” scam where victims are cold-called about a sure-fire way to make money quickly (e.g. stocks or investments) and are pressured into making an on the spot decision about transferring money.
3. ‘Video Conferencing Malware’
90% of Brits are not worried about this scam enough
Scammers are sending official-looking invites with a button to “open” up the Zoom app, however, once opened, it downloads malware that can access your passwords and usernames for all accounts. Many Brits are remote-working, and the number of daily Zoom participants has increased to 200 million compared to 10 million back in December 2019 – leading to an increased interest from fraudsters.
4. ‘New Account Fraud’
90% of Brits are not worried about this scam enough
A scam where fraudsters use your details to open a new bank account, with the objective being to max out the credit limit as soon as possible before vanishing. This often leaves the victim caught up in legal and financial trouble whilst the case is resolved.
5. ‘Fake Test and Trace Calls’
76% of Brits are not worried about this scam enough
Fraudsters are pretending to be from the NHS and are contacting people and offering a ‘fast track’ COVID testing for a fee, however, the NHS would never ask you to pay an upfront fee. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) received 600,000 reports about this scam in the first three months of the pandemic.
6. ‘Impersonation Scams’
75% of Brits are not worried about this scam enough
One of the more common scams, this involves a fraudster getting in touch and pretending to be from a trusted source (e.g. the police, post office or bank) to persuade you to hand over details.
7. ‘Card-Not-Present Fraud’ (CNP)
71% of Brits are not worried about this scam enough
CNP fraud happens after information on a debit or card has been stolen and sold on the Dark Web, without the need for the physical card. The lockdown has led to more people buying and banking online – increasing opportunities for fraudsters as consumers input their bank details.
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