Posts

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Warning Over Springtime Scammers

Fraudsters are targeting elderly, vulnerable and young people who may have less experience of the tax system. During April and May, fraudsters target taxpayers with refund scams, by Feigning to be from HMRC, either by email or text. This coincides with genuine tax rebates at this time of year, made by HMRC and makes the con seem more legitimate as people may be expecting to hear from the tax service.

They ask recipients to provide bank details through a fake government website which harvests private information and is used to steal money from peoples bank accounts. To lure them in … Read more

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Instagram and Snapchat users targeted in extortion scam

Victims are being tricked into revealing Two Factor Authentication (2FA) codes and extorted for money with the threat of having their personal photos shared publicly if they don’t pay up.

Action Fraud has received multiple reports about Snapchat and Instagram accounts being endangered as a result of users being tricked into handing over 2FA codes to fraudsters. The victims are then extorted for money with the threat of having their personal photos shared publicly.

Action Fraud are telling users to not respond to messages that ask for your login details or two-factor authentication (2FA) codes. These can be used to … Read more

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Another warning over TV Licensing Scam

Action Fraud are again issuing fresh warnings over an ongoing TV Licensing phishing scam. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau are continuing to receive high numbers of complaints through their reporting service.

Fraudsters are sending members of the public fake TV Licensing emails, which are designed to steal personal and financial information. Action Fraud has received over 900 crime reports since April 2018,and the losses to victims totals more than £830,000.

Director of Action Fraud, Pauline Smith said: “We are continuing to see reports of fraudsters using fake TV Licensing emails to hook victims in and trick them into parting … Read more

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Warning Over Selling Your Old Computer

Action Fraud are warning people to be careful when looking to make some extra cash selling their old computers.

According to new research from a leading international data security company, found that 42% of used hard drives sold through Ebay still contained sensitive data, which could be compromising. The research found that 15% contained personally identifiable information, even when sellers had stated they had properly wiped the hard drives of all personal and sensitive data.

The study analysed 159 computer drives purchased in the UK, UK, Germany and Finland. The findings highlighted a major concern that whilst sellers recognise … Read more

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2 Years for Illegal investment scheme

In a case bought by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), Virdee was sentenced to 2 years in prison and ordered to carry out 300 hours unpaid community work. Virdee pleaded guilty to 4 charges relating to Deceptive consumers, fraud and, the illegal operation of an unauthorised investment scheme, which raked in over half a million pounds.

Virdee ran a company named Dynamic UK Trades Ltd and, between October 2015 and November 2017, he operated a deposit taking scheme without the required authorisation of the FCA. The FCA say he targeted family members and associates; in one instance he convinced … Read more

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Warnings Over Tenancy Deposit Scam

Action Fraud is warning the public that fraudsters are posing as landlords to trick people into paying upfront rent into Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

According to Action Fraud, 28 reports were made to the reporting service between December 2018 and February 2019, amounting to a total loss of £19,990.

Reports made to Action Fraud claim fraudsters are posing as genuine landlords of rental properties available online. Before viewing the property, the fraudster convinces the potential tenant to pay a deposit. Incredibly, in some cases reported to the service, victims have been asked to pay a whole month’s rent upfront. The fraudsters… Read more

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New Rules For Rent To Own Shops

The Financial Conduct Authority has announced it will limit the interest that customers pay on rent-to-own products. The FCA says that all goods purchased after 1 April will be included in the price cap. Meaning the interest charged will only be as much as the cost of the product, this includes the cost of credit.

Rent-to-own shops offer people the chance to buy items they need for their home through smaller regular payments. However, once interest charges have been added, some rent-to-own consumers have ended paying more than four times the retail price they would have paid in a non … Read more

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Cold-Calling Scammers Convicted

A cold-calling company based in Swansea has been caught on CCTV pressurising elderly victims into buying boilers that didn’t exist.

Renewable Energy Centre Ltd, offered victims a free boiler under what they said was a government scheme, all people had to do was pay a one-off upfront fee of either £299 or £399.

The company managed to con 1,200 people into paying this fee, but only three households ever acquired their new boilers. The three elderly victims who did receive their new boiler, were actually unknowingly signed up for monthly repayments lasting 12 months.

A four year investigation was carried … Read more

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Fraudsters Plead Guilty To Telemarketing Timeshare Scam

Two men from Florida have pleaded guilty in a telemarketing scam that cost 40 victims more than $1.5 Million. Following an investigation by the FBI, Troy Carter and David Bell have both plead guilty to a huge money Washing conspiracy, that saw victims being targeted twice. Both men face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

From 2015 to 2018, Carter and Bell concocted a ruthless scam to target timeshare owners throughout the U.S. and steal their money. They instructed staff to cold-call timeshare owners and pose as real estate agents claiming to have buyers ready to purchase … Read more

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Every Police Force Will Now Have A Dedicated Cyber Crime Unit

Thanks to a multi-million pound investment from the government, every Police force in England and Wales will now have a committed Cyber Crime Unit.

The announcement was made by Chief Constable Peter Goodman of the National Police Chiefs Council lead for cyber-crime. The news came at an event hosted by the new West Midlands Cyber Crime Unit which was established in November last year. Chief Constable Goodman heard from members of the team about the work they are doing within the force, how they link with the regional network and what it means to local victim’s and businesses.

Chief … Read more

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