31/03/22
Welcome to the latest edition of the Scam Share bulletin. Stay Scam Aware and please share any relevant information in this bulletin with friends and family.
Suspicious Text Messages
If you receive a suspicious text message you can forward it to 7726. The free-of-charge ‘7726’ service enables your provider to investigate and take action if malicious content is found.
Recently Reported Scams
Buyer Scams - Online Marketplaces
The Scam
A new type of scam has recently been reported in Scotland, targeting those who sell items via online marketplaces.
A prospective buyer gets in touch and asks to meet in person to collect the item - often in a remote area. At the meeting, they show the seller an app on their phone, which appears to show that the payment for the item has been processed.
They say that it might take a couple of hours for the payment to show up in the seller's own bank account.
In fact, the app they use is not connected to their bank account and no payment has actually been made.
These scams particularly affect those selling high-value goods.
We have previously reported similar scams where a supposed 'buyer' sends a fake email to the seller which appears to be from PayPal and says a payment for an item is pending. It says that the payment will not be reflected in the seller's account balance until the buyer receives proof that the item has been shipped.
How to Avoid Always check your own bank or PayPal account to verify that a payment has been received before proceeding with a sale. Don't rely on information shown to you via an app on somebody else's device.
Be suspicious of emails saying that a PayPal payment is pending - PayPal never hold funds on the condition that you confirm shipping or that you pay into another account first.
Don't click on any links in suspicious emails. If you do click on a link, do not provide bank or security details and never download software on to your device.
Report any suspicious behaviour to the site you are using. If you have lost money, report this to Police Scotland on 101.
The Scam
Over the last month, there has been a high number of reports of cold callers who claim to work for a medical advice centre or even the NHS. They try to sell medical alarm pendants/bracelets, claiming that these are recommended by doctors and hospitals.
In one case, a caller said that the pendant would cost £89.99 plus six monthly payments of £39.99. Unfortunately, at least one person has given their card details to these callers.
How to Avoid
If you receive a cold call selling medical aids, asking you to complete a health survey or offering a home visit from a mobility aids salesperson, refuse to give any personal details and hang up.
Never agree to make any payments to a cold caller - if you are unsure if a call is legitimate, hang up and do some research into the company the caller said they represented.
If you have agreed to a home visit by a healthcare or mobility aids salesperson, you may want to ask someone you trust to be there with you. Make it clear from the outset that you will not be making a decision on that day and that you will be taking time to think about any purchases.
Find out more
British Healthcare Trades Association: www.bhta.com
Those who use Apple Pay are being warned to be wary of scam text messages, similar to the one pictured on the left, which say that your account has been suspended.
You are asked to click on a link to update your details - this leads to a legitimate-looking webpage with Apple branding which claims that Apple Pay has been suspended on your device and that you can continue to make contactless purchases once you reactivate your wallet. You are then asked to enter your personal and account details and possibly financial information.
How to Avoid
If you receive an unexpected message about your Apple account, don't click on any links.
If you have clicked on a link, never enter your account information on websites linked from these messages, and never download or open attachments included within them.
Apple advise that, if you receive an email asking you to update your account or payment information, you should only do so via Settings directly on your device or via iTunes or the App Store. You should only update your password via Settings on your device or at appleid.apple.com.
Apple will never ask you to share your Apple ID password or verification codes in order for them to provide support.
The Campaign
New types of delivery scams continue to be reported across Scotland. One recent example, shown on the left, names a driver who has supposedly attempted to deliver an item when you were not at home.
You are asked to click on a link to 'reschedule a new delivery date' - links in these texts often lead to malicious websites which use branding and logos of legitimate delivery companies and ask you to enter your personal and payment details.
How to Avoid Legitimate parcel delivery services will not contact you unexpectedly to ask for personal or payment details.
If you receive an unexpected text message about a parcel delivery, don't click on any links or follow any instructions to download an app to your phone.
If you are expecting a delivery and you receive a ‘missed parcel’ message, don’t click the link - visit the official website of the delivery company instead.
Scottish consumers continue to receive cold calls from companies offering to carry out surveys of their loft insulation or telling them that their insulation needs to be replaced.
In several cases, cold callers claim that the householder's existing loft insulation could be hazardous to their health due to its age and attempt to sell them spray foam insulation.
The Energy Saving Trust advise that if you have regular loft insulation above the ceiling, you do not need additional spray foam insulation. In fact, if the insulation is not needed, it could end up rotting your roof timbers.
How to Avoid
Cold callers may try to sell you energy saving or home improvement measures that you don’t actually need and which won’t provide any benefit.
If you are concerned about your existing insulation or any other energy saving measures in your home, seek impartial advice from trusted companies rather than cold callers or online adverts. Have an impartial assessment carried out to determine which energy saving measures will actually benefit your home.
Always take time to think before making a decision - don't agree to make any payments for goods or services on the spot.
Do plenty of research - get at least 3 quotes and check 3 review sites. If you need to call a trader for emergency repair work, find someone who has been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme.
Home Energy Scotland offer free and impartial advice on energy saving measures and information about funding available in your area - call them free on 0808 808 2282 or visit www.homeenergyscotland.org.
The Scam
There have been reports this week of cold callers knocking on doors and telling householders that they have loose tiles on their roof that need to be repaired immediately.
The callers say they are available to carry out the work immediately, but often fail to provide any paperwork or cancellation rights.
Rogue traders often imply that urgent work is required in order to pressure householders into making a decision quickly.
How to Avoid Don't deal with cold callers. If you need to call a trader for roofing work, find someone who has been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme.
Always take time to think before making a decision - don't agree to make any payments for goods or services on the spot. Do plenty of research and get at least 3 quotes and check 3 review sites before having any work carried out.
Sign up for Neighbourhood Watch Scotland Alerts to stay up to date with what is going on in your community: www.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk
Find out More
Find traders in Scotland who have been vetted by Trading Standards:www.trustedtrader.scot
App - short for 'application', refers to a software program for computers or other devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Malware - malicious software that is designed to damage or gain unauthorised access to a computer or other device.
Phishing - the practice of sending fraudulent emails which often appear to be from well-known organisations or companies and ask the recipient to provide personal information or to visit a particular website.
QR Code - a square barcode that a smartphone camera can scan and read to provide quick access to a website or app.
Ransomware - malware that makes data or systems unusable until the victim makes a payment.
Remote Access - the ability to access a computer or device from another location. Anyone with remote access to a device can access all files stored on it.
Smishing - the same as phishing, but carried out via SMS (text) messages rather than emails.
Software - the set of instructions and programs that tells a computer how to operate.
Virus - a computer program designed to infect and damage legitimate software.
Official Contacts
If you feel threatened or unsafe, contact Police Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
