It has been noted that a fraudulent text message, whether it’s sent by Whatsapp, SMS, or any other messaging service aims to persuade you to click on a link. This link will take you to a fake website that can infect your device with a virus or steal your personal details and money.
Which? stated that there are five particularly nasty scam text messages. They involve the following:
- DVLA scam text
- Hi Mum, hi Dad
- Parking fine
- Evri delivery scam
- Job scam
For more information about these particular scams please see here .
The RingGo text scam was also reported on 2 Aug
Heatwave scams: watch out for dodgy air-conditioner offers
The many heatwaves in the UK this summer have lead to a number of scams concerning dodgy air-conditioning offers.
There are a number of retailers who are trying to take advantage of the hot weather. Which? has compiled some information about the scams and how you can spot them and avoid them.
To learn more please see here .
How fake delivery texts fuel a fraud empire
Smishing, the sending of fraudulent text messages, has become the centre of a worldwide fraud empire which is said to be worth billions. They’re becoming trickier and slicker to spot, putting the public at even greater risk.
It has been argued that “criminals can blast out texts by the thousands, knowing that 98% of messages are opened – usually within 90 seconds. A high hit rate and captive audience make text messages a highly effective tool for distributing scams about unpaid parking fines, rescheduled deliveries and dodgy tax rebates”.
Having clicked the link, you may then be redirected to a fake payment site that can be prompted to install a malicious app that runs in the background, collecting your personal and financial data or steal card details,.
Indeed this could be part of a two-pronged attack, with the scam text as merely part one, as fake delivery messages are often the start of bank impersonation scams.
To find out how text messages are fuelling fraud, what is being done to stop this and how to stay safe, please see here.
Hidden trap on BBC website
Ads on your favourite websites can be camouflaged by rogue advertisers to fool you into adding your card details. There might be a prompt urging you to ‘Download a file’ or ‘Verify and Continue’ but it is really a disguised ad designed to fit in with a website’s normal content, without it being obvious what it really is.
Which? exposed how a hidden banner left one user of the BBC website “trapped in a monthly subscription to an obscure ‘tech education’ e-book business, and to escape the payments they had to cancel their bank card”.
For more information about this please see here .
Which? scam expert’s tips for safer online shopping
Online shopping has grown in volume in recent years, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, artificial intelligence tools have made it much harder to spot fake or scam websites, which are increasingly being used by criminals.
There are certain tell-tale signs you can spot which can help you to avoid such websites and stay safe when shopping online.
For more information on this pleaser see here .
How to avoid scams when booking holidays
More and more scams are being perpetrated on holiday booking websites, Fraudsters can lure you in with really enticing holiday offers and encourage you to give away personal and financial information and consequently steal lot of your money.
To help you to spot and avoid these scams, 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.
Friends of Bylines Network
There has never been a greater need for grassroots journalism that investigates the stories that really matter, holds power to account and champions the voices of everyday citizens. We are proudly powered by volunteers but what we do isn’t free.
STAND WITH US for independent, citizen-led journalism that makes democracy stronger, and you will even get some exclusive benefits.
