21/04/22
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
Council Tax Rebate Scams
The Scam
Those eligible for the £150 council tax rebate - available to all households in council tax bands A to D and designed to help with the rising cost of energy bills - are being warned to be wary of phone scams related to the payment.
Several scams have already been reported, where cold callers ask for bank details in order to provide the tax rebate.
Councils will never call and ask for your bank details.
All councils will make the payment in different ways - most will contact local residents in writing to provide more information.
How to Avoid
Don’t give any personal information or bank details to a cold caller, even if they appear to know some of your details already
If in doubt about the legitimacy of a call, hang up and contact your local council directly using details found on their official website.
The Scam
Scammers continue to take advantage of the cost of living crisis - this week, there have been reports of scam text messages which appear to be from Scottish Power and offer recipients the chance to win £2,000 towards their energy bills.
In order to claim the 'prize', you are asked to provide your Scottish Power account number, security details and bank details.
How to Avoid
Scottish Power has confirmed that they would never ask customers for security or bank details via text message.
The Scam
A Scottish consumer recently lost over £1,400 in a sophisticated delivery text scam. They received a text message purportedly from delivery company Evri saying that an extra charge of £1.50 was required for a parcel delivery.
The consumer was expecting a parcel, so clicked on the link and was taken to a website with Evri branding, which asked them to provide a delivery address, phone number, card and bank details.
Later that evening, the consumer was phoned by someone who said they were from his bank’s fraud department and that there had been suspicious activity on his account. The scammer convinced him to transfer over £1,400 to a new 'safe' account.
Similar scams have been reported in recent months, with one woman losing thousands of pounds after receiving a text supposedly from Royal Mail asking her to pay a £2 delivery fee. She entered her contact and card details and, the next day, was called by someone posing as a 'fraud investigator' from her bank who persuaded her to transfer her savings to a 'safe account'.
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 parcel, track the delivery on the company’s official website rather than using links or contact details provided in an unexpected message.
Your bank will never cold call and ask you to move money to another account.
Be suspicious of any unexpected phone call or text message which appears to be from your bank, particularly from a 'fraud department', and asks you to act urgently to avoid losing money.
Never give any personal or banking details to a cold caller, even if they appear to know some of your details already. Don't follow instructions given in an automated call.
If you receive an unexpected call or message from your bank and are unsure if it is legitimate, hang up, clear the line and contact your bank using their official number (found on the back of your card, a statement or on their website)
The Scam
There have been reports of scam emails which appear to come from PureGym or David Lloyd Clubs and offer you the chance to win a free gym membership.
The emails use pictures, logos and branding taken from the legitimate company websites and ask recipients to click on a link to take part in the competition. The link leads to a cloned gym club website which asks you to enter your personal details.
Both David Lloyd Clubs and PureGym have confirmed that these emails are fake.
How to Avoid
If you receive unsolicited emails or texts offering prizes or deals, do not click on any links or open any attachments and never enter any personal or banking details;
Check the spelling and grammar in the message. Scam offers or giveaways often contain small mistakes and unusual wording;
Read the terms and conditions before taking part in any competition – many fraudulent prize draws or offers do not list basic terms and conditions such as deadline dates;
Before taking part in an offer or competition which is supposedly being run by a big brand, look at their official website or social media channels to see if it is genuine.
As Covid testing rules change in Scotland, scammers continue to impersonate the NHS via text message. There have been several recent reports of texts saying you have been a close contact of someone who has tested positive for Covid and asking you to click on a link to pay for a test kit.
The link leads to a cloned NHS website which asks for your contact and payment details.
How to Avoid
NHS Scotland WILL NOT ask you to pay to take a test or to provide any financial details.
From 18 April, lateral flow tests are only available in Scotland for specific groups of people, including those who have been in contact with a positive case. However, if you are eligible, tests are still free to order from the NHS.
The Scam
Action Fraud are warning people to take extra care when booking tickets online for events, festivals or concerts, after consumers lost almost £4 million to ticket fraud in the last year.
With many popular summer events already sold out, criminals may advertise non-existent tickets on secondary ticketing websites or social media.
Last month, several people lost money after scammers created fake social media profiles to sell non-existent tickets for a fundraising event in Port Glasgow featuring the cast of Line of Duty.
How to Avoid
Only buy tickets from the venue’s box office, official promoter or agent, or a well-known and reputable ticket site;
If possible, pay for tickets by card; preferably credit rather than debit. Be suspicious if you are asked to make a bank transfer as this may be a scam;
Check that the seller is registered with the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR): Take a note of the seller’s name and, if they are a business, their address in case you need to contact them at a later date;
Be aware of the information which ticket sellers are required to provide. Sellers may be committing an offence if they fail to disclose relevant information.
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.
