Latest Scams and frauds
Published: 15 March 2021
Census Fraud
2021 Census Day is coming and households across the UK are currently receiving letters which include a unique 16-digit code to access the census online. As always, criminals will view this as an opportunity to commit fraud and will send out phishing emails, text messages and telephone people, to try and obtain your Banking data, PIN number etc. Action Fraud have prepared some advice for you that you can keep. Beware of the census form scam | Action Fraud
Covid Vaccine’s
This week the NHS commenced sending out text messages to invite people to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. This text message will be shown as being sent from ‘NHS Vaccine’ and will include a link to the NHS.uk website and is genuine. It is important to remember that the NHS will never ask for payment or banking details. If you receive a text from the NHS asking you to book your vaccine, this will be genuine. Alternatively, if you get any other text messages asking you to pay for a vaccine or requesting financial details, this will be a scam. If you get a text and you are still unsure, then contact your GP surgery. If you believe you have been a victim of this type of scam, then contact your bank, immediately and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Haveibeenpwned
How sure are you that your online accounts have not been hacked? Would you like to check? Even better, would you like to do it for free? Here's a quick and simple way to check: https://haveibeenpwned.com You can create a strong password for your online accounts by using 3 random words. This will give you a unique password that you will remember and make difficult for hackers to crack. For more information visit the National Cyber Security Centre web site below. For more top tips and advice on how to stay safe online. https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/ If you believe you have been a victim of this type of scam, then contact your bank, immediately and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Courier Fraud
The Fraud Office are still seeing a number of offences each week and would like to remind people what to look out for and how to help protect family and friends from becoming victims.
Courier fraud involves criminals contacting victims and impersonating other types of professional people such as Police officers, Bank Staff or members of the National Crime Agency.
They will often say that there is an issue with your bank account, payment card or National Insurance number. They will encourage you to help with an investigation and ask you to take monies out of your bank account or to hand over your card and PIN for a courier to collect.
One of the most popular at present is impersonating the NCA and stating that your National Insurance has been used in crime and you need to pay a fine to the NCA to avoid arrest etc.
It is all a scam, as a police officer, member of the NCA or other law enforcement type organisation, will never ask a member of the public to hand over money and never request banking details or a person’s national insurance number or send a courier to collect items. Fraudsters can go to great lengths to appear genuine and often target the elderly or people who they think are vulnerable.
There are several precautions you can take which can help reduce your chances of falling victim to this type of offence. The Fraud office would encourage everyone to take heed of the following advice and share it with friends and family.
• If you receive one of these calls end it immediately.
• Never hand over any money, or other items, to a courier after receiving this type of call.
• If you are not confident a person claiming to be a police officer is genuine, ask to take their details and end the call. A police call handler will be able to verify whether your caller was genuine.
• However, use another telephone or ring a family member or friend to ensure the line has been cleared or wait at least ten minutes before using your telephone in order to clear your line from the scammer and report the matter to the police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.
• Alternatively, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. You can also report suspicious activity online by visiting: http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud
• The matter can also be reported to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111
See the full Kent Fraud Alert System Newsletter HERE