With the growth of the internet and mobile technology, there are more devious and inventive con-tricks out there than ever before. And whether it’s mysterious phone calls saying you’ve won a lottery, or an e-mail asking you to move large amounts of money to a foreign country, they’ve all got just one purpose – to relieve you of your hard-earned cash.
But when it comes to protecting yourself against phone or internet scams, then all it takes is a bit of good old common-sense.
The council’s chief trading standards officer Julie Middlehurst says: “Scams work in a number of different ways but they often involve calling a premium-rate phone number or getting you to pass on personal information such as bank account or credit card details.”
Here are some of the more popular ones to look out for:
Prize notifications via mobile phones
You receive a text message which implies a cash prize has been won, but asks you to ring a premium rate number [09] to claim it. Calls usually cost £1.50 per minute and you will have to listen for several minutes.
Julie says: “The likely outcome of your call is a low value prize or cash amount far inferior to the one expected, vouchers for which more money must be paid in order to redeem them – or simply nothing at all.”
Telephone holiday offers
This is where you are called out of the blue by a company stating that you have won the opportunity to buy a holiday in Florida, or some other exotic destination at a cut price rate.
They will then ask for your bank account or credit card details for an administration charge.
When you are finally sent the details of the holiday, you realise you still have to pay for the flights, with only the accommodation being free. In addition the ‘free’ accommodation is often in a timeshare resort and dependant on you attending a compulsory timeshare presentation.
‘Phishing’
You may receive a telephone call or an email from ‘your bank’ asking you to confirm your account details. While these can sometimes look quite authentic just remember – real banks do not contact people in this way. If you hand over your details, the scammers will drain money from your account.
Overseas and other Lottery phone scams
The scam starts when people respond to mailings, emails or phone calls telling them they are being entered in a national lottery or some other prize draw, often from Canada, Australia or Spain.
You will then receive a phone call congratulating you on winning a ‘big prize’. However to claim your prize, you are told you must send money to pay for taxes and processing fees. Often these calls are repeated and further sums requested.
Julie says: “Consumers have lost thousands of pounds through such schemes. The prize doesn’t exist, and you will not receive any ‘winnings’ in return for your cash.
“These scams usually ask for personal details – full name, date of birth, next of kin, bank account. Our advice is to say ‘no thank you’ and hang up if a company calls you out of the blue, asks you to part with money in advance or uses high pressure sales tactics to persuade you to enter into a contract.”
To help reduce the number of unsolicited telephone calls you receive, register with the Telephone Preference Service on 0845 0700 708.
If you have been a victim of any type of scam contact Consumer Direct for further advice on 08454 040506.
