It was reported in June that people should be careful when using Booking.com, as a very convincing scam was doing the rounds and it had already cost hundreds of victims thousands of pounds. It was further reported that, “between June 2023 and September 2024, Action Fraud received 532 reports of this scam, with £370,000 lost in total”.
Which? and Booking.com
Following the emergence of this scam, Which? asked 237 of their members who used Booking.com whether they had seen scam messages sent to them via Booking.com’s messaging system in the past two years. As many as 9% said they had done so.
Which has stated that “these are often dangerously convincing messages sent by third-party scammers while appearing to come from Booking.com itself, and which have been used to steal thousands of pounds from unsuspecting customers of the site”.
One of those who responded commented that they had sent money to a fraudster and that “they were only saved when the bank called to query the transaction”.
Which? is concerned because if reflected across the booking site’s millions of users in the UK and abroad, this figure of nearly 10% of customers being targeted with scam messages would be a huge number worldwide.
Consequently, Which? state that it is now “calling on Ofcom to investigate whether Booking.com’s doing enough to remove illegal content and protect users, using its new powers under the Online Safety Act”.
Pensions scams
The Pensions Regulator has warned that there are fraudsters afoot promising high returns and low risk. However, the reality is that pension savers are scammed and are often left with nothing, and indeed many lose their life savings.
The Pensions Regulator has said that, “if you suspect a scam, you should report it to the authorities so that they can investigate”.
Which? has noted that around £81.5mn in compensation has been paid out to victims of pension scams, but thousands more could also still be eligible for a payout.
To find out how the scheme works, who might qualify and how to avoid falling victim to a pension scam, please see here.
Screen sharing scams
It was reported on 14 August that the leading bank Santander had launched a new service on its mobile banking app to protect customers from scammers and frauds.
Which? has also been reporting how the device could “save people from scammers”. Which? goes on to say that customers will be protected from scams by Santander’s latest app feature as it involves, “remote access or screen-sharing tools by blurring their screens when the software is detected”.
Which? also noted that over the years, they had issued numerous warnings about scammers taking control of victim’s devices and stealing their money or personal information, using tools such as AnyDesk and TeamViewer to take control. Which? also pointed out that they have called on banks to step up to better protect customers.
To see how Santander’s new app feature works and see what other banks are doing to combat fraud see here.
Scam sharer tool
If you think you might be the victim of a scam, please use the scam sharer tool to tell others.
Tell the authorities
If you think you are the victim of a scam there are things you can do. f you lose any money to a scam, you must call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card and report it to Action Fraud, or call the police on 101 if you’re in Scotland.
CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE BYLINES NETWORK CROWDFUNDER!
