Current trends (as reported to Action Fraud during August):
Websites purporting to offer driving licence renewals, car auction purchases, garden furniture, gaming consoles, white goods and designer clothes from various websites which were never received.
• Cryptocurrency investment schemes in various platforms where victims haven’t seen any returns on their investments.
• Victims booking golf holidays through a website and then finding out the booking hadn’t been made, even though money had been taken.
• Fake emails purporting to be from Asda
The emails state that the recipient can win a £100 promo reward gift card’ by completing a marketing survey. The links provided in the emails lead to phishing websites that are designed to steal personal information.
• Banking branded phishing messages The recipients of these messages are informed that they have successfully amended their number or are advised that a large direct debit payment has been created and to click on a link within the e-mail if they did not make this change.
• A company offering PCR tests to travellers returning from holidays. The tests were ordered and paid for but were never received.
Emerging Issues and Threats:
Covid-related scams Any potential increases in Covid and possible introductions of new restrictions could lead to the reintroduction of many of the methods used by fraudsters and cyber criminals during the previous lockdowns and restrictions. Any further vaccine rollouts may be exploited by scammers contacting those eligible to gain personal and financial information from them. Over recent months, a significant increase has been seen in scams relating to the NHS COVID Pass to steal money, financial details, and personal information.
Health and social care reforms The Government will be setting the limit to what elderly people will have to pay for their care, regardless of assets or income. As a result, pensioners could have more assets and available funds because of this change, and it is possible that this could this make them at increased risk of being targeted with various frauds and scams in the future.
Online shopping and auction fraud It is predicted that this fraud type will start to increase in the run up to Christmas and afterwards.
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