Latest scam and rogue trader alerts from Warwickshire Trading Standards
Law Firm Crypto Scam
People who have fallen victim to crypto currency scams are warned to beware of ‘follow up’ scammers.One Warwickshire resident reported being approached by a ‘law firm’ who claimed they could investigate the scam he had fallen for, and get his money back.The firm said they had recovered his money but wanted him to pay an up-front fee for the money to be transferred! Check to see if a law firm is regulated by the
Solicitors Regulation Authority.The SRA scam alerts warn you about people who call themselves solicitors but are not.
HMRC Gateway Scam
Beware of phishing emails falsely purporting to be from HMRC and directing you to login into your gateway account.A Warwickshire resident reported being caught out and logging into a
copycat HMRC website before uploading a copy of his driving licence, a utility bill and a photo.The resident was then asked to make an online payment, where upon they realised it was a scam.
You could put yourself at risk of identity theft.If you are logging into any Government website, always begin by going to gov.uk This is the best place to find government services and information.
Facebook Competition Warning
Warwickshire residents are warned to be careful if entering competitions advertised on Facebook after one resident was told that he had won a big prize but would need to pay a ‘transfer fee’ to receive it.The resident paid out almost £2000 but did not receive their ‘prize’.If you are asked to pay in advance to receive a prize, this has all the hallmarks of a scam.
Bogus US Visa Website
Warwickshire residents wishing to purchase a US ESTA or obtain visas for other holiday destinations in 2024 are warned to beware of bogus
copycat websites.The best place to start your search for travel advice entry requirements for any country is gov.uk
‘Safe Account’ Money Transfer Scam
Several Warwickshire residents have recently reported falling for the ‘safe account’ money transfer scam.One resident reported that he had lost £5000 after someone falsely claiming to be from his bank asked him to move the money into another account, which he agreed to do.
Another resident fell for a bogus Royal Mail re-delivery email and used his debit card to pay £1.90 to the fraudsters.The fraudsters then used his card information to make two small transactions before phoning him claiming to be from his bank’s fraud unit.
They then convinced him that his own account was compromised and frozen, and asked him to open a bank account with another bank and move £500 to that account to ‘protect’ it, which the resident did.The fraudsters had control of this new account and stole the money.
Broadband Phishing Emails
Some residents have reported receiving scam phishing emails that ask you to click on a link to ‘resolve’ fictitious broadband problems.If you are logging into any account, the safest way is to log in via the official app or by typing the web address into your browser.Don’t follow links in emails, they may take you to
copycat websites..
