One basic rule to stop scammers that everyone must follow

Even though I hate having to admit it, scammers are nothing if not creative.

There’s a tidal wave of scams operating at the moment, usually linked to seasonal, topical or news events. Often the underlying scam works in the way they always have. But the way fraudsters get under your skin is constantly changing, so we need to be extra vigilant.

And with good reason. According to UK Finance data, last year £1.17billion was lost in fraudulent transactions. However, A further £1.45billion was saved after being prevented from being stolen by the industry.

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According to the statistics, 70% of fraud originates online while the next 16% occurs through telecommunications. So clearly, the best way to counter fraud is to be cautious about any email, call or message that asks you to provide details, transfer money or click on a link.

Even if you follow this basic rule, it helps to know what scammers are up to. So here’s my guide to the latest scams you might encounter.

Scams – a glossary

There are lots of different and confusing terms for different types of fraud, which makes things unnecessarily complicated. Here’s a quick glossary so you know what they mean.

• Spoofing: This is where fraudsters use a bit of cheap technology to make it look like a phone call or message is from an official business or organisation – or even someone you know.
• Easy marks: Fraudsters trade lists of people who have fallen victim to fraud who are then contacted again by other fraudsters, sometimes pretending to offer to get your money back for free.
• Push payment/Courier fraud: Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud is where you are tricked in to either transferring large amounts of money or handing over your bank details by fraudsters pretending to be your bank or the police.
• Boiler rooms: This is a type of fraud that uses pressure selling to get you to by worthless or non-existing investments or cryptocurrency. The fraudsters often use ‘easy marks’ lists to target victims of mis-selling or fraud repeatedly.
• Purchase scams: Fake adverts for retailers, often advertising on legitimate social media websites.
• QR codes: This is a ‘quick response code’, a square type of barcode that allows you to scan it with a phone and link to a website or data.

Parking scams

There are not just one, but two new types of parking scam operating at the moment! Both are devilishly simple for fraudsters to operate, so you need to be super cautious when paying in private car parks.

Some private parking firms have QR codes that you scan to make a payment. But crafty fraudsters have been putting fake QR codes on to stickers and attaching them to the signs, so you put your bank details in to a fake website. What’s worse is that a brand new variation on these scams involve attaching a small, fake Bluetooth card scanner to the section of the payment machine that you tap with your debit or credit card. This then ‘skims’ your payment details.

The reason these scams are so effective is because paying for parking fees through an app or phone line is a massive faff in many instances. So tapping or scanning seems much easier. But grit your teeth and download the official parking apps for parking companies and use them instead.

Oh, and I hear that there’s a glut of fake parking fine notices being attached to cars too. Always contact the company through its official website.

Energy scams

I was chatting to my good friend and fellow broadcaster, Katherine Hart, from Trading Standards about the scams on her radar recently. She mentioned that she’d noticed a big increase in fraudsters impersonating energy firms and the regulator Ofgem.

Scams are often seasonal. So as September rolls around and the weather becomes atrocious, it’s natural that our thoughts turn to rising energy bills and affordability. There are a range of scam texts and emails being sent at the moment that ‘spoof’ numbers so your phone says that they are from an energy supplier or Ofgem.

These messages may suggest you’ve been overcharged and you can claim back a credit. Others might tell you that there is a better deal available. Some messages invite you to claim for a grant – playing on the actual grant and discount schemes operated by the government and energy suppliers.

Katherine also mentioned variations of the scam offering discounts on topical heat saving methods, like heat pumps or insulation. Watch out for messages from government organisations offering grants and discounts too.

Bank and e-payment scams

Earlier in the year I nearly fell for a scam email myself. I received an email from ‘PayPal’ telling me I’d bought a seated lawnmower for $750. I don’t have a garden – and even after a couple of sherries I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have bought one online. I was just about to click the link to dispute the transaction when I remembered my own rules about scams.

Firstly, I looked at the email address. It did indeed say PayPal. But when I looked closely, there was an umlaut – two little dots – over a letter ‘ä’ in PayPal. Talk about hard to spot! So the email, which looked incredibly convincing, was a fake.

There’s an epidemic of these emails doing the rounds at the moment from banks, card and credit providers and e-payment services. They are designed to shock you in to clicking the link attached with the email or message before you’ve had time to think. Always remember the golden rule: never click the link – go straight to the official website or app to check.

Phone scams

There seems to be a rise in mobile phone purchase scams at the moment. This is where fraudsters hack your mobile phone account or set up a fake one using your details.

They order expensive mobile phone handsets that are delivered to you. When you complain that you didn’t order the phones, the scammer comes to your home pretending to be a courier company, collects the phones and leaves you with a massive debt.

Mobile phone companies know all about this scam, but they can be very bad at sorting out the problem. If the business isn’t listening to you, threaten to go to the Communications Ombudsman. That will get their attention!

If you’ve been scammed…

Don’t forget, the quicker you act the better the chance you stand of getting your cash back. If you’ve transferred money to a fraudster, call your bank asap or dial 159 – a number run by the free Stop Scams UK service - that will connect you to your bank or a leading retailer.

• Martyn James is a leading consumer rights campaigner, TV and radio broadcaster and journalist