SCAMS
PLEASE NOTE THAT INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE MAY BE REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES. WE ARE GIVEN INFORMATION FROM MANY SOURCES AND JUST DISPAY THE INFORMATION PROVIDED
Advice from East of England Region u3a's
Barry Linton of Thorpe Bay u3a is also an East of England Region u3a Trainee Trust Volunteer. He is involved with the Essex Police working as an official volunteer within the Fraud and Scam Protection Team, particularly those scams that may target older people. He is a fully recognised speaker on Cybercrime protection by Essex Police.
With Essex Police support he maintains a Fraud Alert web page on the Thorpe Bay u3a website.
A link to this can be found here Fraud Alert Please have a look at the advice offered.
“Essex Police Fraud Alert System” or EFAS for short
If you or someone you know is vulnerable and has been a victim of fraud, please call Essex Police on 101.
Report fraud or attempted fraud by contacting Action Fraud or call 0300 123 2040.
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Rip Off Britain
Rip Off Britain is a BBC One series which exposes Britain's rip-offs and helps consumers. It is presented by former news journalists Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and newsreader Julia Somerville. The factual programme has a website with lots of advice and a number of fact sheets you can down load and print for your use. These are near to the bottom of the webpage.
One recent one which caused a lot of interest is about text Scams. You can view and down load here. Scam Leaflet Its in colour but a black and white version is available to save your printer ink.
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ANOTHER SCAM
My husband was called last Thursday by a person called David who advised that he was calling from Domestic and General with whom I have all my appliances insured and for which I pay monthly Direct Debits for their relating cover.
David advised my husband of the exact amounts that I pay each month for each of the appliances but also knew that I had cancelled my tumble dryer cover and queried cover for my dishwasher. He advised my husband that I could cover the dishwasher and Tumble dryer for £14.83 per month if my husband signed up with him.
However, because I deal with all such matters and not my husband, he was advised that I would call them back. My husband was provided with a telephone number: 0800 597 8600.
Today I have got all my Domestic and General policies out and called the above number only to be told that number is no longer a valid number. I looked on my policies for an alternative telephone number for Domestic and General and called them on a number commencing with 0333.
I advised the representative from D & G of the background for my call. She advised that it was a scam and that many of their clients had reported receiving such calls from the scammers who even knew D & G clients’ direct debit and bank details and their policy details with D & G. They call the clients in the hope the clients will sign up there and then with a new policy and provide bank details. D&G said they are aware of the scam and their people are looking into it.
I have checked a brilliant web site where it will tell you if the number that you have just been called by is a scam. The website is: Who-called.co.uk.
I think this website could be very useful information for our members because sure enough the 0800 597 8600 number was on this site and identified as a scam.
Sent by a u3a member
Coronavirus scams
SCAMS
They are still around exploiting the current situation to make money. As you might expect, scammers loose no time in exploiting the current Covid-19 situation. Apart from following the medical advice on Coronavirus please also be careful on any unsolicited contact with others. Keep your distance. Advice from Action Fraud tells you what to watch out for. More info Pandemic Scam
As has been said in many of our communications, please call a committee member if you need extra assistance or at all worried.
Rogue Traders
With the current weather, with high winds and heavy rain, be wary of rogue traders cold calling and offering to replace fencing, missing roof tiles etc. Never accept a doorstep offer to complete work.
Please be aware that rogue traders can and do still appear on sites like ‘Trust a Trader’ or ‘Checkatrade’.
Use traders who you trust or have used before, alternatively Trading Standards have a ‘Buy With Confidence’ scheme – please use this website in order to find traders that have been vetted and approved by Trading Standards.
Watch this video from Trading Standards: Cold Callers Video
Final Services Compensation Scheme
If the financial firm you've used has gone out of business and can't pay your claim, we can step in to pay compensation. For more information, please see the Financial Services Compensation Scheme(FSCS) If you have any concerns about any communications you may have received from any organisation, contact the FSCS Enquiries team via their contact us.
Amazon (Prime) Scams
Unsuspecting members of the public are targeted with automated calls which tell them a fraudster has used their personal details to sign up for an Amazon Prime subscription. The victim is then instructed to press 1 to cancel the transaction. When they do this, they are directly connected to the real scammer who poses as an Amazon customer service representative.
The criminal tells the victim the Amazon Prime subscription was purchased fraudulently and that they need remote access to the victim’s computer in order to fix a security flaw that will prevent it from happening again. The victim is instructed to download an application called Team Viewer and asked to log onto their online banking account. The software download grants the fraudster remote access to the victim’s computer and allows them to see the victim’s personal and financial details.
Another scam is to tell you a large amount of money has been charged to your bank card. No card details given. The options are given to authorise the amount or talk to an advisor. Simply hang up and do not press buttons.
Other variants of the crime involve victims being told they are due a refund for an unauthorised transaction on their Amazon account or telling victims their subscription will be ‘renewed’ for £39.99. The call will then say that you should ‘press 1’ to speak with an ‘account manager’. Do not press 1, simply hang up immediately.
Amazon will never contact you in this way, and the call being completely unsolicited should also set off alarm bells.
Unsolicited requests to remote access your computer should always raise a red flag, as once in to your PC they can gain access to all your personal data. If you’ve receive an unexpected phone call, or other communication, stop and take a minute to think about whether an organisation would get in touch with you out of the blue in this way. Instead, contact them directly using a known trusted email address or trusted phone number. Never use a telephone number supplied by the caller or an email address. Never divulge personal details/data over the phone.
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Essex Police Crime reports
Essex Police encourage all Watch members to read through and think about all the incidents within the below/ attached crime reports. You may be able to provide Essex Police with additional information regarding an incident.
You may reside, work, walk , travel or visit family or friends in or near the areas where incidents have occurred.
THINK
Were you in the area on that day, around that time?
Did you see any suspicious activity?
Did you note a suspicious person or vehicle?
IF you noted any suspicious activity in relation to the reports then please call Essex Police on 101.
Make a note of the incident reference number and quote this when calling.
(If you have information in relation to a suspicious vehicle, please make note of the Make, Model, Colour and index number if possible).
Please do not feel that you will be wasting police time. The information you provide may proof useful in an investigation.
Remember to tell the Call taker that you are part of a Watch scheme and be proud that you are looking out for others.
Thank you
If you have any queries your local Essex Watch Liaison Officer will be only to please to assist you.
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SCAMS Don't get caught out
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Unsolicited Calls
PLEASE BE VERY CAREFULL WITH UNSOLICITED PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS. DONT GIVE ANY MORE INFORMATION THAN THEY ALREADY HAVE.
BEST TO JUST HANG UP FROM THE START OF THE CALL IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS.
See also ESSEX POLICE NEWS