To help people to spot scans more easily, Which? is warning about what they say are the five most convincing scams so far this year. These are scams people didn’t see coming, and that can be easy to believe for one simple reason – they exploit our everyday worries and needs.
According to Which? fraudsters have even tried to make people feel sorry for them to help them get what they want. They will create a cunningly crafted message or hope that there is a coincidental opportunity, and they can catch you on a busy day.
Big Brand giveaways
Fraudsters sit quietly in social media feeds. They knew that audience well and offer fake giveaways which are intended to lower you into handing over money and your personal information for prizes that simply don’t exist.
The fraudsters portray themselves as popular brands and run competitions. These competitions feature anything from toys to phones, store vouchers, and even cars. The images used are often convincing. However, they are often posted from a throwaway account that clearly has no link to a real brand.
Scammers also like to post endorsements or recommendations. These concern competitions or offers using accounts of real individuals, whose accounts have actually being hacked into. Scams can seem real because the posts appear to come from real people.
Which? advises the following: “trusted brands would never ask you to pay a penny to receive a prize. Before entering any competition online, you can make a few checks before giving away any personal information.”
Energy bill texts
Scammers have been trying to take advantage of energy bills increasing recently. They use confusion and concern to try to con people into handing over money or personal information.
The messages might claim to come from the government or your local council, and say that you have been approved or are entitled to receive heating allowance or subsidies.
The wording is suitably formal so can seem official. The messages may also have links to fake websites that may be designed to look like government or council websites.
Which? also advises people to beware of online ads promising authority funded heating allowances.
Which? advises the following: “most eligible people for the winter fuel payment get the payment automatically and there’s no need to apply for it. Be wary of texts claiming to be from trusted organisations that contain links to websites asking for personal information”
Job scams
Working from home has become more common since Covid and scammers are taking advantage of this by offering highly paid remote work which can seem plausible.
The offers are for work from anywhere often with a lucrative salary and the role requires little or no expertise or experience.
Sometimes scammers have even made-up elaborate case studies that show how other people have done well from these jobs.
On Instagram and Facebook, scammers may even claim that they like your photos and videos and get talking to you as a prelude to offering you paid work or freebies with the intention of conning you.
Which? advises the following: “Job scammers tend to grab your attention with get rich quick opportunities, hire quickly and ask you questions. Above all they show a keen interest in getting hold of your bank details or money. It’s a red flag if someone who claims to be a recruiter starts acting unprofessionally, such as harassing you for unnecessary personal information upfront or making threats.”
Fake closing down sales
Scammers often use the idea of a closing down sale to create a sense of urgency and immediacy. These deals seem too good to miss.
They may also post a sob story on social media claiming that their small businesses are going bust or they’ve had to close it for tragic or personal reasons. They then invite you to buy stock to buy or bid on items informally via bank transfer, PayPal, or even gift vouchers from other retailers.
Which? advises the following: “Before you buy, check the accounts promoting flash sales offering very cheap deals…and remember the old adage hope it sounds good too good to be true it probably is.”
Booking.com scams
Which? Travel carried out an investigation in November 2024, finding that dozens of sham holiday homes, repeatedly reported by customers, were still on Booking.com and available to book. Consequently, Which? was able to help one family recoup some of their losses after finding their villa in Thailand didn’t even exist.
Then in early 2025, Action Fraud said it had received more than 500 reports from victims of Booking.com scams, saying that scammers had contacted customers via email and through Booking.com’s app, impersonating hotels they’d made bookings with. They then claimed that the customers need to pay more money or make prepayments to secure their booking.
Which? advises people to, “check the reviews of accommodation listings and ensure they’re sorted by newest first, rather than most relevant. Contact the hotel directly if you get messages about confirmation or payment. Avoid payments by bank transfer. If you use PayPal, avoid using the ‘Friends and Family’ option. If you pay by credit, you have better protections if things go wrong”.
Scam Sharer tool
If you come across a scam please help others by sharing it, using this scam sharer tool.
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