National Insurance Number Scam
Be on the lookout for calls from fraudsters impersonating Police, NCA etc. and stating that your National Insurance number is being fraudulently used. They will ask you for your cooperation in an investigation and instruct you to purchase gift cards, which they will then collect and say that they will subsequently reimburse you back with your money. It is a SCAM, the Police will Never contact you like this and Never ask you to purchase gift cards for them to collect.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
Text Messages Impersonating your Bank
The below text message was reported to me by a Kent resident. These messages will impersonate your Bank stating that a transaction has been attempted on your account and if it is not you, then to click on a link. It is a SCAM. The link will take you to a realistic web site, where the fraudsters will request your personal/financial details. Your Bank will never contact you like this requesting that you click on a link.
Forward suspicious text messages to 7726.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
Amazon Gift Card Scam
Watch out for these fake emails claiming to offer you the chance to win Amazon gift cards. They are a scam. If you click on the link within the email, it will take you to a realistic website controlled by the fraudsters, who will steal your personal and financial data.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
WhatsApp Scam
WhatsApp scams are a issue with 1,235 reports to Action Fraud nationally, between February & June this year, resulting in victims losing £1.5 million. If you get an unexpected message, always confirm that it is genuine.
Criminals will typically claim to be a family member and will usually begin the conversation with “Hello Mum” or “Hello Dad”. They will say that they are texting from a new mobile number as their phone was lost or damaged and will go on to ask for money to purchase a new phone, or claim that they need money urgently to pay a bill. The criminal will supply their bank details for payment, with some coming back on multiple occasions until the victim realises they’ve been scammed.
If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
Forward suspicious text messages to 7726.
