Which? has produced a list of some of the latest scams doing the rounds at the moment.
These scams include a fake PayPal email, fraudsters impersonating the mobile network Three and a TV licensing impersonation.
There are also iPhone Pro scam sites, which are urging people to make quick decisions in order to lure them in.
You can learn more about all the latest scams noted by Which? here.
Stay ahead of the phone scammers
Phone scams have been described as when “fraudsters call pretending to be from a trusted organisation, such as a bank or government agency, in order to steal personal details or demand payments”.
It has also been noted that you cannot always spot a phone scam easily. In one example, fraudsters can make it appear that you’re genuinely being called by your bank or a government department by using spoof phone numbers. Additionally, they might make you think the call is genuine as they may already have some of your information from a previous data breach.
To learn more about how to avoid phone scams please read here.
Apple account compromised
Faye Lipson, fraud expert at Which?, has spoken to a concerned Which? member about a very worrying pop-up message on her iPhone.
According to the message, issues had been detected on her device and she could lose all her data, if she didn’t take action.
These messages can seem very worrying, but in reality, these are often simply scam ads that appear when using certain apps or sites rather than real pop-ups. They are designed to “ bait you into compromising your account.
Find out what Faye recommends you do if you see a similar warning here.
JustMe scam prevention app
Which? has apologised to anyone who has had problems recently with the testing of the scam prevention app from Cifas JustMe.
Unfortunately, there was temporary blockage of the free trial code. Thankfully, that issue has now been resolved.
Which? has announced: “ If you would like to help with testing the scam identification features on this app, you can download the JustMe app from the Apple App store or Google Play. Search ‘JustMe – Scam Protection’.
2For free access, you’ll need to open the app and select ‘activate or restore subscription’, then ‘activate with code’ and use the code GCP7ANF3
“The trial is for six months, no payment information is collected, and there’s no auto-renewal”.
You can share your thoughts on this app, please see here.
Dangerous apps that could take over your phone
Members of Which? regularly tell the Which? Tech Support team that their phone has been hacked. Tech expert Conor Houlihan has noted that “the vast majority of the time the problem can be traced back to a dodgy app’”.
Which? can help members with multiple situations, including identifying “the warning signs that your phone has been hacked, how to get rid of a troublesome app and the simple checks that can help you avoid downloading one in the first place”.
You can join Which? Tech Support If you prefer 1-2-1 technical advice from Which? experts . You can chat to their team by email on the phone as often as you need.
To learn more about avoiding dangerous scam apps and how you can get support please see here.
Beware parking scams
More and more we are being asked to pay for our parking by using an app, but unfortunately fraudsters are taking advantage of this, to promote their scams.
Which? spoke to one of their members who received a text claiming to come from parking app RingGo. It was said that the “the message threatened her with a fine if she didn’t pay the unpaid balance on her account”.
Faye Lipson, Which? fraud expert, has told people how to discover if a message from a parking app is a scam attempt or genuine.
To learn more about this, please see here .
How to spot fake online security checks
While browsing the web you may well have come across a Captcha, a box you have to tick or a simple puzzle to solve. The reason for this is to prove you’re a real person rather than a bot.
Which? has noted that, “while most Captchas are legitimate, cybercriminals are creating convincing imitations that could trick you into installing malware onto your device. We’ve taken a closer look at how these scams work, the warning signs to watch for and what to do if you think you’ve been targeted”.
For more advice about this, 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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