Frauds and the common risks

Stephen Armson-Smith, the Crime Prevention Tactical Advisor and Architectural Liaison Officer for Braintree and Uttlesford Districts in Essex Police has just sent me the following article for publication to remind us all about the need to watch out for fraudsters. 

A scam is just another word for a fraud and we are all at risk. In fact, you are more likely to become a victim of fraud than of any other crime! The villains involved are ruthless, care little about their victims and do not discriminate. People of all age groups, and the vulnerable are all liable to fall victim to these crimes and the biggest risk is thinking that it could not happen to you. TV programmes like ‘Hustle’ tend to glamorize fraud but to a victim there is nothing glamorous about being a victim, as fraud can and does destroy people’s lives.

Fraud comes from many directions and in many forms and is constantly evolving and is by no means limited to the few common examples I refer to below:

Postal delivered frauds: Lottery and holiday wins (about which you should be suspicious when you have not even entered the competitions to win them!); sales pitches involving a continued commitment, someone stranded abroad in need of cash, inheritance notifications, and, as below in 'telephone, computers and the internet', some of these scams may come via the postal service too.

ATMs and shops: Distraction at the ATM e.g. the dropped cash trick and ‘shoulder surfing’ to see you punch in your PIN and devices attached to the ATM to hold your card and/or read your PIN.  ‘Shoulder surfing’ at the till in a store followed by a distraction in the car park while you’re getting into the car in order to steal your bag or wallet with your card inside.

Telephone, Computers and the internet: You are told either by telephone or via an email that you have a virus in your computer and that you need to give the caller/sender remote access to your computer to repair it. Your telephone bill has not been paid and your telephone will be cut off unless you pay. Those frauds delivered in the mail can also come via email. Maybe there has been unusual activity on your bank or PayPal account and they will ask for your account details and PIN and send a courier to your home to pick up your card(s).  An email might refer to the fact that you have shares in ‘such-and-such’ company and that they are preparing a hostile takeover and would like to buy your shares. Of course, there will be a fee and the whole thing will be a fraud.

The list of frauds that have been attempted and have succeeded go on and on and while I do not have the opportunity to cover them all help is at hand.

To report a fraud and to obtain further advice please visit Action Fraud at http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or ring them on 0300 123 2040.

Other sources of advice include:

Essex police’s booklet ‘Fraud isn’t just a scam it’s a crime’ http://www.essex.police.uk/PDF/fraud_not_just_a_scam_but_a_crime_leaflet.pdf  (Hard copied also available from Essex Police stations)

Get Safe Online https://www.getsafeonline.org/

And remember: If it looks too good to be true it invariably is and you get nowt for nowt.

Stephen Armson-Smith

10^th March 2016