Digital scams: Old and new tricks to watch out for

If there’s one thing you can bet on changing and moving with the times, it’s scams. No matter how tech savvy you are, even the most vigilant of us can be caught out if we are distracted or it’s just convincing enough.

In the digital age, when we are dealing with an endless streams of texts, emails, subscriptions and e-services, scammers are getting more sophisticated and bolder, targeting you and your cash in an ever-increasing and inventive number of ways.

Some ‘old classics’ just keep evolving. But there are new types of scams out there too. Here we explain some of the latest (and oldies) to watch out for.

Text scams

They arrive on your phone randomly – and they’re getting more convincing. Often they’ll be pretending to be from official organisations, such as HMRC, and will suggest that you need to act urgently. We’ve heard of texts claiming they’re due a tax refund or that they owe money. Often they’ll come from what looks like a genuine mobile phone number.

But take a step back and think: would a government department or any official entity, send you a random text out of the blue and simply ask you to click a link for a quick claim or to make that payment?

Newer versions claim to be from specific providers. Most of us know to be suspicious if we receive a text from a bank we’ve never used. But we’ve been hearing about texts sent to people claiming to be from their mobile provider, saying their monthly payment was ‘unsuccessful’ and that their account will be suspended. ‘Conveniently’ there’s a link to a website to sort out the issue. If you’re unfortunate enough for that text to coincide with your monthly payment, you’d be forgiven for not questioning it.

Basically, any text you’re not expecting – think twice. If it’s claiming to be from your provider, don’t just click that link – contact them (and your bank if it’s a different provider) directly, either by phone or by email, on details you find on their official websites to ask if the message is genuine. If you have already made that click through and you’re concerned, contact your provider and your bank/credit card company immediately and ask for your account to be monitored or blocked.

Phone scams

Who hasn’t received calls that are either silent on the end of the line or, the classic, ‘we hear you’ve been in an accident’? However, phone scams are getting more inventive.

Action Fraud have raised the alarm about a telephone scam where people are contacted to be told their National Insurance number has been compromised and that they have to hand their personal details over the phone to obtain a new one. We’ve also heard of calls claiming to be from HMRC aggressively warning people that they are ‘under investigation’ for tax fraud – even being told a warrant is out for their arrest!

The golden rule: take a step back and hang up. If you are at all concerned then contact the departments concerned directly through their official phone number or website. Never assume that they are calling you – no matter how convincing or aggressive that person on the other end of the phone is.

Sim-swap scams

We all have a lot of personal information swirling around on the internet. Even innocent ‘sign up’ sheets online can involve key data like your date of birth or contact deals being sold and traded.

The sim-swap scam involves fraudsters sifting through this data and gathering enough to build up a pretty good guess of what your personal log-in details to official sites might be. Once they have enough information, the fraudster contacts your mobile phone provider and requests a sim card swap, which allows them to access your private details from official notifications and emails from banks and other financial services.

A new variation on the scam involves requesting a PAC – a way to simplify switching to a new phone provider by text that rather unfortunately can also facilitate this scam. This can happen to anyone.

Vigilance is the best defence here. Keep an eye on your bills and bank statements. If you spot anything suspicious, get in touch with both your bank and mobile provider immediately. It’s not hard to lock down your private details with a phone company or bank as soon as they know you’ve been hacked.

Spoofing scams

Spoofing scams are where a scammer uses technology that allows them to impersonate a provider’s number, so when you see it on your phone, you may think it’s real. They ask for your online passwords or codes and trick you into giving them what they need to access your accounts.

A common and sophisticated version of this has been reported by Action Fraud, who warned people about messages claiming to be from parcel courier DPD stating that delivery drivers were unable to deliver their package – then providing instructions to arrange a re-delivery. The messages linked to fraudulent websites that asked for a payment. If victims made the payment, they were then contacted by someone claiming to be from their bank telling them they had suspicious transactions on their account.

Victims were then informed that their bank account may be compromised and were instructed to transfer their money to ‘an alternative secure account’ but actually their money is being transferred into an account under the fraudster’s control.

Put simply, your bank will never ask you for your passwords or security codes over the phone. If at any point the caller is doing this, don’t be afraid to hang up.

Push Payment scams

This is probably one of the most common kinds of scam. A fraudster calls you, pretending to be from your bank or impersonates an authority figure such as a police officer. You are told your account has been compromised and need to transfer your cash to a new account.

More worryingly, they may tell you to call the number on your bank card but can stay on the line when you hang up to do so. In this case, wait at least five minutes before you make that call – or use a different line if you have the option.

Courier fraud scam

This is similar to the push payment scam, but the scammer tells you that they will send a courier to collect your bank card after getting your details. In the worst examples, people are told their local bank staff are the fraudsters and are made to go in and transfer the money out.

Your bank card is yours – you should not hand it over to anyone unless you are handing it to a cashier at your bank.

Been victimised by a scam?

If you’ve been a victim of fraud, or you’ve had what you think is suspicious contact, please report it by contacting Action Fraud.

Resolver can also help raise the issue directly with your providers – use us for free to submit your issue.

And if your bank failed to protect you, you could claim back money from them.

Make a bank fraud claim with our recommended provider.

If you have any thoughts on this topic, or any other consumer issues you would like us to cover, feel free to get in touch with us at support@resolver.co.uk.