Which? has issued a warning about pension scams, stating that some of the most financially devastating types of fraud are scams involving pensions. Indeed, Action Fraud noted that last year, victims of pension scams had an average of £47,000 stolen.
Sometimes there are genuine misunderstandings around pension rules and it has been noted that these can open the door to scammers. The fraudsters often create highly convincing and sophisticated websites in minutes.
Which? has advice about the danger signs that you should be looking for here .
More on issues with booking.com
Which? has been warning of scams on booking.com for several years now. However, despite this, scams remain commonplace on the website and in Which?’s latest attempt to see how secure the site is, they listed 10 Downing Street as a holiday let.
Which? goes on to say that “despite the clearly absurd address, the platform failed to stop their listing from going live, and they were able to take a booking (from their researcher).
To learn more about how booking.com needs to change to prevent scammers on its site, please see here .
Why banks refuse subscription trap refunds
Misleading social media ads are helping rogue subscription firms to profit from them. They charge for appallingly overpriced services, but card providers are blaming customers and denying refunds. Why is this?
Which? has noted that “members often ask us for help because they can’t get refunds for these unwanted subscriptions. Which? explains why getting your money back can be difficult and what to do if you’ve been caught out.
You can learn more about this here .
Beware screen-sharing scammers posing as banks
Which? has also warned people that your sensitive information is vulnerable to screen-sharing scammers who are posing as banks. The fraudster usually starts these scams with a phone call, before trying to move you to a video call and trick you into sharing your screen with them.
Scammers are able to see what’s displayed on your phone, if screen-sharing is enabled, and this information can include notifications of one-time passwords sent by banks to authorise payments.
To learn more about five of the tactics fraudsters use to con you and how you can avoid them, please see here .
The signs of a recovery scam
When victims of fraud are retargeted and offered help to recover the money that was stolen from them, this is known as a recovery scam. Which? advises that “the scammers promise to get your money back for a fee, but any money given to them won’t be returned”.
Suspicious accounts have been spotted on social media, claiming to be offering scam advice, but there are a few signs that these are profiles to be wary of and most likely recovery scams in disguise with profiles to be wary of.
To learn more about how to avoid these scams, please see here .
Scammers are thriving on Meta’s social media platforms
A victim survey by Which? has shown Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp are among the platforms which are still to be found at at the centre of the UK’s scam epidemic.
Which? goes on to state that, “while the tech giants profit, consumers are paying the price for a relentless wave of fraud. We expose how criminals operate, why reimbursement remains a postcode lottery and why urgent reforms are needed to tackle this crime”.
To learn more about this scam and how to avoid it, 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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