Three phone scams
The government website notes that phone fraud concerns criminals calling you on your mobile or landline. They try to convince you to hand over confidential information, give them access to your computer or phone, or make a payment, by pretending to be someone you trust.
The government adds that “fraudsters can use artificial intelligence (AI) to clone voices to try to trick you into thinking that you are talking to someone you know or trust”.
Which? has reported that there are 3 phone scams doing the rounds at present:
Binance phone scam
The cryptocurrency exchange company Binance is being impersonated by scammers. There has recently been a spike in Google searches for this scam.
At the beginning of the scam you receive an unsolicited text message, for example a message sent from a shortcode number ‘62884’.
You are then told that there has been an “unauthorised login attempt on your account from a different country, such as Iran and Romania”.
Other versions of this scam message tell you that there has been a large unauthorised transaction on your account or give you a verification or withdrawal code.
Heathrow scam call
In this scam you will get a call from someone who claims to be a police officer from ‘Heathrow Police Station’. They tell you that “someone has been arrested at Heathrow airport and had stolen personal documents on them, including something related to you, such as a driving licence”.
The caller may know your name and birthday while the call comes from a private number. Which? warns that “these scams often seem convincing because the fraudster often already has some data on you, which they’ve probably obtained through a data breach”.
Home emergency cover
The third phone scam involves reports on the phone number lookup website, Who Called Me. These reports demonstrate that dubious calls regarding home plumbing services and other emergency cover are circulating.
Which? states that “one report claims the caller claimed to be a plumbing insurer. Other reports say the caller claims to be from a water company, such as Anglian Water or Welsh Water, and their home emergency plumbing had come to an end”.
You can find out more about spotting and reporting these calls here.
Other current scams
Which? has reported other current scams, including:
A scam text message from EE promising exciting rewards as you have collected ‘thousands of points’. You can learn more about this fraud here.
There is a scam email going around which claims to be from NatWest telling you that there’s been an ‘unusual transaction’ on your account.
Which? goes on to state that “the email goes on to list the amount spent and where it was spent in order to get you to panic and act quickly”.
You can report scam emails like this by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk
There are emails circulating, which claim to be from the online bank Wise, using accurate brand logo to appear legitimate and which tell you that some features on your Wise account have been restricted.
The emails include a link which you must click in order to receive and send money on your account. However, there is an obvious giveaway that it’s a scam as the email address is a random one made up of miscellaneous numbers and letters.
You can report scam emails like this by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk.
Dodgy websites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre here.
There is more information about these and other current scams here.
Holiday rental rip-offs
It has been noted that holiday rip-offs can really spoil what otherwise could be a dream and much needed holiday.
Which? has reported 5 holiday rental-rip offs here and how you can avoid them:
1. Your rental doesn’t exist – before you book make sure to filter reviews by ‘most recent’ to see the most up-to-date feedback
2. The accommodation is double booked – For peace of mind, it’s a good idea to drop your host an email directly before your stay to confirm the booking
3. You’re asked to pay via bank transfer – if you have any doubt at all about this way of paying, email or phone the hotel or host directly to check if the request is genuine.
4. Your stay was cancelled and relisted at a higher price – Which? has noted that “travellers have complained of this happening to them when big sports or entertainment events in the area have driven up demand”.
5. You’re charged for damages you weren’t responsible for – Which? recommends that you “report any breakages as soon as you spot them and take photos or videos (preferably timestamped) to prove the damage was already done when you arrived.”
For more information on these scams please see here.
Scam Sharer tool
For information on how to share scam warnings and help protect others, see Which?’s Scam Sharer tool.
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