Latest scams to look out for

Ever seen a special offer shopping online that seems too good to be true? Heavily discounted items like clothes, fragrances or electrical goods could be fake ads. These scams can be through private sellers on social media or fake websites - you’ll pay for the items, but never receive them.

Tempting too-good-to-be-true offers appear for holidays as well, either on fake travel websites or on social media. The scammers might try to contact you via a call, text or email too. You pay for the holiday, usually via bank transfer, but the holiday doesn’t exist.  

This type of scam usually happens on social media platforms, dating websites or gaming apps. The scammer will build up a relationship with their victim over time, by creating a fake identity and creating a made-up life story. After some time, they will claim they need money for emergency medical care, or to pay for transport costs to visit you if they live abroad. They will ask you to either transfer money from your savings or take out loans or credit cards on their behalf. 

Fancy making money with little effort? That’s the tempting offer fraudsters use to recruit consumers mainly through online channels such as social media. They may ask you to open a new account and/or ask you to receive a large payment into your account and transfer it to their account. They may tell you that this is because they can’t use their own bank account or that it’s part of a refund scheme and you can keep a percentage of the money. Remember, by helping fraudsters, you could be committing a criminal offence. 

Have you ever received an email or text saying you’re due a tax rebate? They’re pretty common, but the latest scam targets the cost of living, with promise of a payment or grant. The scammer impersonates an energy company or government department, offering financial support relating to utility bills and other living costs. You’ll receive an email, SMS or phone call and the scammer will try to get access to your personal and financial information by getting you to click on links or provide info over the phone. You'll be urged to share these details to claim your money. 

In this instance, the scammer impersonates your bank, claiming to be calling customers advising there's been fraudulent activity on their account - and they need to process a refund to your account. You'll be advised you'll receive an urgent text with the details and are instructed how to respond, or you may be asked to read out the 6-digit one-time passcode – remember, your bank will never ask for this. 

Most of us have received a WhatsApp from an unrecognised number, but has the person ever claimed to a friend or family member using a different number? If they ask for money or bank details, it’s most likely a scam. You'll be told this is the friend or family member’s new number as they’ve lost their phone, and this is usually followed by a request for money to be sent to them or for card details to pay for something urgently. 

Scammers are pretending to be family, friends and work colleagues by texting, emailing and through WhatsApp messaging. They’re asking for help in urgently purchasing a gift card or voucher online with the promise that this will be repaid. 

You’ll be urged to buy the gift cards or vouchers online or at a store, then send the voucher codes to the scammer.  

Fake investment opportunities are being promoted on search engines and social media, or by cold callers contacting people out of the blue. They offer tempting returns that sound too good to be true, and the scammer might try to persuade you to take out a loan to invest. You’ll then be asked to transfer money to them but the investment doesn’t exist.