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POLICE last week warned about a new HMRC scam.
Fraudsters have sent messages and called people out of the blue pretending to be from the government service.
Officers said criminals are looking to take advantage of the end of the tax year by pretending their victims are due a tax refund or owe money.
Writing in an alert, Thames Valley Police said it is ‘okay to say no to unsolicited offers of help or requests’.
Here are the latest scams going around.
Natwest
Natwest issued an urgent scam warning to customers after fraudsters attempted to steal personal and financial information from customers.
The bank has said that criminal fraudsters have been using the latest lockdown restrictions and vaccine rollout to exploit people for personal gain.
Criminals have been making scam phone calls to customers, as well as sending fake emails and text messages, pretending to be from official sources, including the NHS, in an attempt to steal information.
Jason Costain, head of fraud at NatWest said: “You are now more likely to be a victim of fraud in the UK than any other crime.
“During last year’s lockdown criminals took advantage of more people working remotely and online.
“It therefore makes sense to take some simple steps to make yourself and your family more fraud proof.”
READ AGAIN: 7 scams people in Oxfordshire are worried about – including Royal Mail
NHS vaccine scam
According to Trading Standards, people are reporting to have received a text message claiming to be from the NHS.
It reads: “We have identified that you are eligible to apply for your vaccine. For mor information and to apply, follow here.”
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) said that text messages had been sent out including links to fake NHS websites that asked recipients for bank details, supposedly for verification purposes.
Such messages were first reported at the end of December on the Western Isles of Scotland, but the CTSI says they are “by no means limited to the region”.
Katherine Hart, lead officer at CTSI, said: “The vaccine brings great hope for an end to the pandemic and lockdowns, but some only wish to create even further misery by defrauding others.
“The NHS will never ask you for banking details, passwords, or pin numbers and these should serve as instant red flags.”
WhatsApp scam
WhatsApp users are at risk of being scammed by their own contacts, a tech expert has warned.
Fraudsters are posing as your friends, family and any other contacts you may have on the messaging device.
Tech expert Alexis Conran took to Twitter to warn people of the scam that “continues to catch people out”.
He posted a screengrab from a phone showing what the message will look like and said: “This is a WhatsApp scam that continues to catch people out.
“It starts with this text message that arrives on your phone out of the blue.”
You will initially receive a normal text from WhatsApp before a WhatsApp message will appear from somebody in your contacts last.
It will read: “Hello, sorry I sent you a 6-digit code by SMS by mistake, can you transfer it to me please? It’s urgent.”
Alexis explained what is happening if you receive a message like this.
He said: “What has actually happened is your friend’s account has been hacked.
“Scammers are now trying to hack all their contacts. You are one of them.
“They are trying to set up a WhatsApp on a new device with your number.
“WhatsApp acknowledges this and sends a 6-digit authorisation code to your mobile phone by SMS.”
He added: “The scammers now try and get you to forward it to them by pretending to be a friend of yours.”
Alexis warned his followers that if you do get caught off-guard and send on the code to your ‘contact’ then you account will be hacked too.
To keep your account safe from the scam, Alexis advised that all users turn on the two-step verification system on their device if they haven’t already.
