Money Matters scams Andrew Fayers Supporting Businesses and
Money Matters - scams Andrew Fayers Supporting Businesses and Communities March 2015
Trading Standards u. Part of Supporting Businesses and Communities of County Council u. Enforce criminal legislation u. W&M’s, fair trading, Illicit/counterfeit goods, food labelling, business advice, animal health, petroleum and explosives, product safety, age restricted goods, education
Scam= Fraud “Fraud is when trickery is used to gain a dishonest advantage, which is often financial, over another person. ” (Action Fraud)
Mass marketing scams: According to the Office of Fair Trading a mass marketed scam is a “misleading or deceptive business practice where the person receives an unsolicited or uninvited contact (e. g. by letter, email, phone or advertisement) and false promises are made to con the victim out of money”.
So why should it interest us? u. Mass Marketing was a £ 3. 5 billion fraud 2011 (Latest research estimates this to £ 5 billion) u. Total of £ 38. 4 billion lost to fraud in 2011 u. Each year 3. 2 million adults fall victim to scams u. Everyone is targeted u. Need to protect the community
The scale of mass marketing scam mail u 22, 000 replied to one scam mail shot and sent £ 500, 000 in one day! u. Some people receive 100’s of letters a week! u. One UK based company sends out 1 million letters a week! Profit comes premium rate number and selling lists of people who reply.
Types of scams u. Clairvoyants/spiritual protection u. Catalogues – Herbal remedies, vitamins u. Lottery Prizes u. Holidays u. Inheritance u. Third World person needs your help! u. Boiler room
u. Phone - Open phone line scams u. Computer – I am from Microsoft u. Computer - Bad luck story – Robbed abroad u. Computer/Phone - Bank account/credit card– Suspicious activity
Grieving son discovers his dead mother lost her £ 100, 000 life savings to postal lottery scammers who sent her 100 letters a week for six years Daily Mail Headline 27 Feb 2015
'Looking back now, I think she was brainwashed but also bullied into sending the money because when I used to call her she would let the phone go to answer phone and call me back. 'She'd say she missed the call because she was in the kitchen or doing something upstairs but now I think she was actually hiding from the scammers. ' Her bank account was overdrawn!
Why is mass marketing effective u‘‘Don’t ever speak to anyone of me, neither of this letter, nor of your ‘Sacred Gem of permanent protection’, nor of the cheque I am going to send you!’’ u. Personal to the recipient u. Rely on secrecy u. Trust -belief what is written is true
How to spot scam letters u They may appear official using formal jargon or appear handwritten and personalised u Offer anything from large sums of cash to magical cures, spiritual protection to once in a lifetime holidays. u Ask for a relatively small fee of between £ 20 and £ 50 at the outset to test recipients ‘appetite’ for scams. u Generally you will be pressurised into responding quickly. u Promised prize never materialises. Instead you receive letters requesting further payments before you are entitled to the prize.
Open phone line scams u. Credit card scams u. Ask for money or card –taken by courier u. Never give your pin number or card to anyone u. Never hand over money u. Listen for dialling tone u. Phone number printed in phone book
Bogus Police Officer scam u. Week beginning 5 Jan in Huntingdon area, 7 calls were received regarding the scam u. Attempts made to coerce personal and bank details u. One victim passed over £ 10, 000 to a male who attended the address to collect the money u. Police and banks will not ask for details in this way. Never hand over cards or money.
Police information 5 weeks ago u. The caller (to a house) reported to be the relative of a close neighbour who had just found out they had been burgled. u. They needed some cash to help pay for the boarding up as they did not have enough cash on them u. They suggested they would return the cash the next day. u. The victim later became suspicious and called at her neighbours to discover that the burglary had not occurred and they had been conned out of cash.
Best advice of all u. KEEP CALM AND HANG UP
So what can we do? u. MPS? ? ? u. TPS? ? ? Company offering to register you for £ 30 another for £ 70!!!!!!! u. Security Software u. Report to Action Fraud u. Return scam mail to Royal Mail
Do the preference services work u. Only for UK companies – does not work for anything emanating from abroad. u. Large fines for UK companies u. Recent Government announcement on strengthening rules Talk was fined £ 750, 000 for silent calls by Ofcom
And what else u. Purchase new phone equipment! u. True. Call technology u. Never supply card or bank details u. Never pay up front for a prize u. Look out for neighbours
Copycat sites u. Look like the genuine government site u. Passport u. EIII cards u. Driving Licence u. Charge for a free service
Pensions u. Use advisors authorised by FCA u. Financial Conduct Authority u. Check their register www. fca. org. uk/register u. Beware of cold calls about pensions u. Scammers may offer you tempting ways to invest your pension pot
Cold Calls u. Never make a rush decision about your pension money u. Beware of words like ‘pension liberation’, ‘loan’, ‘loophole’, ‘free pension review’ or ‘one-off investment’ u. Beware of offers for an investment described as ‘unique’, ‘overseas’, ‘environmentally friendly’, ‘ethical’ or in a ‘new’ industry
http: //www. pensionsadvisoryservice. org. uk Before you sign anything, you can call The Pensions Advisory Service on 0300 123 1047 for information and guidance about pension scams
u Rogue Trading - Fraud Deliberately overcharging for unsatisfactory goods and/or services. Includes charging for unnecessary work, damaging property in order to obtain money, leaving work unfinished and intimidating behaviour to extort money
MO (Modus operandi) u Cold call & Engage u Start on small jobs which get bigger u Make fraudulent claims u Do unnecessary jobs u Return to do more unnecessary jobs
The Traders u. Travel throughout the Country u. Cold Call or deliver fliers u. Rarely have Business Address u. Rarely carry Business Paperwork u. Most are known to Police Is it worth £ 6000?
Good Neighbours u. So what can you look out for: u. Traders cold calling in the area u. Builders vans with no names or contact details u. Work stars unexpectedly u. Work did not doing –why is person on the roof? u. Poor quality work
More signs u. Neighbour appears anxious or distressed u. Neighbour visiting the bank accompanied by the trader u. Note registration numbers u. Keep flyers
What is a distraction burglar? A distraction burglar may use a variety phrases to try and gain entry into your home “I’m from the ‘Water Board’, there’s a leak down the road and so I need to check your water supply. ” “We’re the police, we’ve caught a burglar who we think has stolen your cash and we need to check your money is safe. ”
Distraction Burglary u. Water u. Requests paper & pen u. Working for council u. Police Officer u. Gas u. Dog in the garden
LOCK STOP CHAIN CHECK u. Doors Locked u. Stop are you expecting anyone u. Put the chain on u. Check ID
u. Questions u. Thank you for listening
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