Posts

,

Warning over holiday scams

As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, officials are warning the public to be extra vigilant when booking holidays, tickets and insurance as scammers set their sights on targeting new victims.

We are constantly being warned about the latest scams and being careful online, but the pandemic has seen the biggest increase in heartless scammers looking to target people, even in the toughest of times. Since the first lockdown began over a year ago reports of scams have skyrocketed and now just as lockdown restrictions begin to ease, experts are warning we need to be even more vigilant when looking to … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Timeshare exit firm banned from business

A timeshare exit company has been permanently barred from operating and ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars back to customers it conned.

Owners Steven Martin did not show up in court when the ruling was made, however the judgement ruled against him and his company who were found to be charging clients exuberant fees for so called timeshare exit services.

The company first came to the attention of officials several years ago and in 2017 The Better Business Bureau issued a warning against the company as they had received hundreds of complaints from customers across the United States … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

The Covid Cons – What to know!

Scammers are getting increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get their hands on your personal information. As fast as a scam gets stopped in it’s tracks a new one emerges. And just as we are seeing a record number of people working from home, so too are the scammers who are taking full advantage of the current pandemic and are ruthless even in these turbulent times.

These cyber criminals are thoroughly taking advantage of coronavirus worries and coming up with more ways to con money from innocent people.

Barclays Bank recently published new figures which showed that during the first … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

TV and Radio Presenter Scammed out of life savings

TV and radio presenter, Helen Skelton has spoken out and revealed she lost her life savings after fraudsters fooled her over the phone.

Speaking on ITV breakfast show with Lorraine Kelly, Helen Skelton told viewers to be cautious after the busy mom of three was distracted and believed fraudsters who claimed to be calling from her bank.

She explained how the fraudsters asked a few simple questions over the phone and they gained access to her bank account and stole her entire £70,000 life savings. She explained that whilst at home looking after her children, she was called out of … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Fraudster Jailed Over Rental Scam

A fraudster has been jailed and ordered to pay back money he made in a property rental scam.

Following a series of reports to Action Fraud, Zhaker Darvesh has been jailed for conning victims into paying him thousands of pounds in deposits for rental properties. Darvesh advertised properties on Gumtree and collected deposits from victims, ranging anything from £9,500 to £3,200. Some of his victims were left in horror after arriving at properties on move-in dates only to find they had been scammed.

Darvesh would stop replying to messages, calls and emails from victims when he had received their … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Watch out for scammers targeting your bills!

Action Fraud are warning people to be on the lookout after scammers target utility customers with fake emails.

Action Fraud has received over 100 reports about fake emails purporting to be from utility companies, including British Gas and Anglian Water. The content of the emails vary from threats of account suspension to refunds due to overpayment. The links in the emails lead to malicious websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information.

What is Phishing?

Phishing scams are attempts by scammers to trick you into giving out personal information such as your bank account numbers, passwords and … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Family TUI Holiday Ends In Disaster

Holiday giant TUI faces further complaints after two family holidays are ruined by sickness jobs.

The Martin family are among 60 others who claim they were struck down with a severe gastric illness whilst staying at a four star hotel in Lanzarote, booked through holiday giant TUI. The family say within days of arriving on their dream vacation, they were struck down with severe stomach cramps and vomiting.

The family say the source of the bug must have come from food which was left uncovered and undercooked. In fact, lawyers working for the family say that they have a … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Insurance Worker Jailed For £390,000 Fraud

A claims handler working for AIG has been jailed for defrauding the insurer out of more than £390,000 to fund his drug addiction.

James Beaver, worked for AIG insurance as a complex claims case worker, but began defrauding the company after his cocaine addiction took hold, following the tragic death of his young son.

After taking some time off to mourn the loss of his son, Beaver’s cocaine habit began to spiral out of control and by the time he returned to work in 2016, he had developed a £500 a day substance addiction. The court heard how Beaver began … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Serial Fraudster Ordered To Pay Back His Ill-gotten Gains!

A serial fraudster who was sentenced to four years behind bars, has been ordered to pay back £315,000.

Malcolm Forsyth created false identities to obtain mortgage deals, open bank accounts and even claim benefits. He was ordered to pay back all of his available assets after a lengthy investigation uncovered money he had been hiding.

Police say Forsyth had tried to obstruct their investigation into his assets by telling lies. Despite this, specialist investigators found he had conned £465,554 from his criminal activities and had available assets of £315,000.

Head of West Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit and Recovery Team, … Read more

/0 Comments/by
,

Police Raid Courier Scammers

Officers raid properties and make arrests as part of multi-force courier fraud crackdown.

Teams from the North East Regional Specialist Operations Unit, Derbyshire Constabulary and the City of London Police have raided three properties across London as part of a multi-force crackdown on a devious scam which targets the vulnerable and the elderly, known as courier fraud.

Specialist officers from North East Regional Specialist Operations Unit and Derbyshire carried out the raids and officers arrested three men on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud. In addition to the arrest’s officers seized £1,800 in cash and took three men in … Read more

/0 Comments/by