Which? has produced a new list of the latest scam warnings to be aware of. These include fake Apple ID emails, a Royal Mail scam text, and a dodgy energy-saving device. You can take a full look at these scams and see the trending scams here
Older people and scams – some data
According to Age UK almost five million older people (65+) believe they have been targeted by scammers. Only 12% of those targeted, actually responded to a scam, still meaning that as many as 500 000 older people could have fallen victim.
Age UK reports that single older people are more likely to respond to scams than married people. This is important as half of all people aged 75+ live alone
Falling victim to a scam can have a major effect on your health. Age UK has suggested that those defrauded in their own homes are 2.5 times more likely to either die or go into residential care.
It is also noted that in the year to March 2017, there were 3.4 million incidents of fraud and that 57% of these were cyber-related. Meanwhile there were at the same time, 3.3 million incidents of theft, meaning that nearly a third (31%) of crime may be fraud.
The average age of victims of mass marketing postal fraud is 75.
An estimated £43 million is said to have been lost to pension scammers since April 2014.
Age UK also say that, “Action Fraud receives around seven romance fraud reports every day. A quarter of victims are in their 50s, losing £10,000 on average.”
How can older people avoid scams?
Which? has suggested five tips to reduce scams risks for older people, including how to deter dodgy doorstep sellers and protecting against scam callers.
The five tips are
- Install a call blocker
- Deter doorstep sellers
- Install antivirus software
- Check your social media details
- Combat loneliness
You can read more about the tips here.
Booking.com
It has been noted that people using the platform Booking.com to book their holidays or accommodation are being warned that hotels who have had their account taken over by fraudsters. could target them with emails or messages requesting payments from hotels. Action Fraud is said to have received 532 reports from individuals, with a total of £370,000 lost between June 2023 and September 2024, .
According to Action Fraud reports, the individuals received unexpected messages and emails from a Booking.com account belonging to a hotel they had a reservation with before being defrauded. Each hotel system had been taken over by a criminal.
It has been noted that “the criminals send in-app messages, emails, and WhatsApp messages to customers, deceiving them into making payment and/or requesting credit card details. The specific account takeovers are likely to be the result of a targeted phishing attack against the hotel or accommodation provider, and not Booking.com’s backend system or infrastructure.”
Adam Mercer, Deputy Head of Action Fraud, is reported as saying:
“With more than 500 reports made to Action Fraud, those who have booked a holiday on the Booking.com platform should stay alert to any unexpected emails or messages from a hotel using the Booking.com platform, as their account could have been taken over by a criminal.
“If you receive an unexpected request from a hotel’s account you booked with using Booking.com, asking for bank details or credit card details, it could be a fraudster trying to trick you into parting ways with your money. Contact Booking.com or the organisation directly if you’re unsure.
“Remember to report any suspicious emails by forwarding it to report@phishing.gov.uk, or if you receive a fraudulent text message, you can forward it to 7726.”
To learn more how to protect yourself see here.
Which? says that their investigation into Booking.com found hundreds of people complaining that they’d paid for accommodation that didn’t exist.
Which? also says: “From bad reviews being hard to spot to scam listings not being removed for months, find out why so many people have been defrauded on the site”.
See the report in full here.
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