PC Christopher Trosh spoke about a couple of matters at our November CCA meeting, one of them fraud:

‘The best defence again fraud is awareness. It’s been happening in Dumfries and Galloway quite frequently just now’…

Fraudsters may ring you up and pretend to be from people you trust – your bank, the police, HMRC etc.

They may change your account name to ‘frozen’ or ‘suspended’ or ‘blocked’ and ask you to pay money out of that account to ‘keep it safe’. If you do that, what actually will have happened is that you have paid your money into the fraudster’s account.

Remember:

Your bank/ reputable companies etc will…

  • Never change your account name
  • Nor call you and ask for your details over the phone
  • Nor ask you to move your money into another account, or a ‘safe account’
  • Not send you emails with links to click to transfer funds/ change your account details etc
  • and will not give you an ultimatum (etc reply within 12 hours or …)

Also:

  • Never share any of your details or logins or codes or passwords with anyone – even if they claim they are phoning from your bank
  • Don’t pay your money into a ‘safe account’ following a phone-call
  • Don’t phone a number given to you by the caller (if it’s a fraud, this will just take you to another person who is part of the fraud)
  • Don’t click on links in emails – go to the page independently (or email/ call the bank using the details on their own website to ask their advice)

What to do:

  • Hang up immediately (it’s not rude. If it was a genuine call, they’ll understand)
  • Use a different phone (eg a landline or mobile, or a friend or family member’s phone) to call your bank using the number on the company website, or on the back of your bank card
  • Call 101 – the police want to know (so they can make an action plan of which areas to target)

or

  • Close the email
  • Go to the website and contact the real company by emailing them or by phonecall – YOU are instigating the conversation using trusted email/ phone number to check if this was a scam/ fraud. If it was a genuine email, they will advise you what to do next. 

Online “Sextortion” Spam Emails

This is a very common email spam that is doing the rounds just now, but has many people worried. We have heard of several instances of this now, but it isn’t as bad as it sounds.

If you have received an email that purports to be a hacker with information on your supposedly “dodgy” activities online, and has details of one of your actual passwords, then take a look at this BBC report that explains what has happened and what to do about it.

And a link to our most recent post about another scam – Television Licence email just in…

We’ve just had an email from a Caerlaverockan who received an email from ‘TV Licencing’ – letting them know of a substantial refund due to them – they haven’t had to pay for a TV licence for years!!