Here is a roundup of some of the latest scams doing the rounds as well as other related news.
Don’t get fleeced by digital pickpockets
Which? is warning people to beware digital pickpockets.
In one example, scammers called someone, claiming to be from the fraud department of Lloyds Bank. They knew how much their victim had in his account and said that his accounts were under attack. They then encouraged him to make nine transfers from his Lloyds account to Revolut for what were described as ‘security purposes’.
Having originally had the transfers flagged up, as they should be, the victim confirmed his identity via the app and was then fleeced of over £18 000.
To learn more about this scam and how to avoid it please see here .
Avoid these sneaky subscription traps
A subscription trap is said to be when “recurring charges – streaming –services, software subscriptions, gym memberships, app subscriptions, meal kits, and other auto-renewing services – accumulate to a level where the total monthly cost significantly impacts the budget, yet the individual charges are small enough to go unnoticed”.
Which? has also warned that people are being locked into subscription services they don’t want, need, or use, by dodgy online tactics.
The Which? scam sharer tool is often dominated by subscription traps, while in October last year, a National Trading Standards survey estimated that more than 20 million UK adults have signed up to a subscription without knowing that they had done so.
Which? goes on to emphasise that, “we aren’t talking about Netflix and Spotify here – these are online subscription businesses that typically pay to appear in your social media feeds. You could be offered a ‘free’ trial or asked to pay a modest £1 fee but, in reality, you’ll face outrageous weekly or monthly charges for questionable services”.
To learn more about this scam and how to avoid t please see here .
New rules to tackle scam ads
It has been noted that a scam is an operation that has been set up to manipulate and fool people. This can include sending money to someone, sharing bank details, passwords and passport information, or giving away other personal information.
Which? has reported that stronger rules have been proposed for online platforms. In this way it is hoped that a ‘free-for-all’ of fraudulent adverts can be curbed. However, it is unclear when they will come into force.
Tech giants such as YoutTube, Google and Facebook, will be expected to proactively stop fraudulent advertisers, ban them and subsequently stop them from creating new accounts.
It is also noted that “online platforms earn huge sums from paid advertising in the UK, but ‘haven’t done enough to protect people from cybercriminals’, regulator Ofcom has warned. The regulator’s draft proposals have finally been unveiled after Which? successfully campaigned to have paid-for scam adverts included in the Online Safety Act, which became law in 2023”.
To learn more about the proposals are and whether they will finally clean up these tech giants please see here .
This setting on your Windows computer can protect you from hackers
Which? has noted that ransomware is one of the nastiest online threats facing Windows users.
Ransomware type of malware is built to encrypt your files before locking you out of them. The fraudsters then demand a ransom before they allow you access again. It can target your most important files, including work files, important documents, family photos, and more. Plus there’s no guarantee paying the ransom will restore access to your files.
Which? has reported that “to help protect against ransomware, Windows 11 and Windows 10 include a feature called Controlled folder access. It isn’t always enabled by default, so it’s worth checking your settings. Once switched on, it helps prevent untrusted apps from making changes to your important files”.
To learn more about Ransomware and how your Windows computer can protect you from hackers with Controlled folder access, please see here .
How scammers hack your Amazon account
Amazon has noted that scammers often pretend to be a trustworthy organization or person in order to steal the victim’s money or personal information. These are known as collective scams.
There are many ways scammers perpetrate these impersonation scams and these can include by test, mail phone, or even by messaging you on social media. The scammers will want you share personal information, make a payment of some kind, or give them access to your computer. They do so by pretending to be a well-known organization with whom it is highly possible that you have engaged.
Now news has come from Which? that suggests that Amazon themselves are currently being impersonated.
It is reported that Amazon customers are being targeted by iPhone scammers. The fraudsters claim that expensive items such as iPhones have been added to their shopping baskets.
Which? has warned that “the aim is for scammers to take over the device and gain access to bank accounts”.
To learn more about this scam and how to avoid it, please see here .
How to stop AI chatbots from using your data – the easy way
AI chatbots such as Copilot, Gemini and ChatGPT, are becoming part of everyday life, whether it be used for summarising documents to generating ideas. However we are warned that while we think that the information we are sharing is temporary, this isn’t always the case.
Which? has explained that “when you put an AI assistant to work, depending on the service, providers can store your prompts, conversations, attachments, location data and account details. Companies claim this helps them improve their products, but there are still ways to take back control of your information and limit the data they collect”.
To learn more about how different AI chatbots deal with your data, including how to switch off settings that allow your data to be used for AI training and generally limit the information they store, please see here .
Scam sharer tool
There is a scam sharer tool you can use to help others to avoid being victims. You can find the tool here.
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