14/03/24
Welcome to the latest edition of the Scam Share bulletin.
Stay Scam Aware and please keep sharing 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
'Damaged Package' Scams
Several people have received text messages that appear to be from delivery company Evri and say that a package has been damaged 'in the process of transportation' and that the address information has been lost.
You are asked to click on a link to update the delivery address within 12 hours.
Links in scam messages such as this often lead to a malicious website designed to harvest personal information.
Similar scam text messages have also been received that use Evri's name and ask you to click on a link to pay a shipping fee of £1.45, saying that your parcel will be returned to the sender if the fee isn’t paid.
How to Avoid
Legitimate parcel delivery services will not contact you unexpectedly to ask for personal or payment details.
If you receive an unexpected message about a parcel delivery, don't click on any links or attachments or follow any instructions to download an app to your phone.
Evri have confirmed that they would never ask for a payment via text message or email.
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.
The Scam
Residents in the Central Belt have recently reported cold callers who say they are carrying out roadworks nearby. They ask if the homeowner would like their driveway or part of roads to their property resurfaced.
One man who was visited declined the offer, but then noticed that two men in high-vis jackets had started to do work at the end of his road and had dumped several tonnes of chips.
He told them that they did not have permission to carry out the work, but they tried to charge him £7,000 for the work they had done so far.
They left the property after the man contacted the police.
How to Avoid Any unsolicited trader who offers to carry out work on your property must give you their business name and address.
Don't agree to let a cold caller start work straight away - do plenty of research into their company and, if something doesn’t look right, don’t deal with them.
If a trader starts work on your property without being authorised and then demands payment, report them to Police Scotland.
Rather than dealing with cold callers, find traders who have been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme at approvedtrader.scot
Rogue traders often imply that a special deal is available and time-sensitive in order to pressure householders into making a decision quickly. Always take time to think before making a decision - don't agree to make any payments for goods or services on the spot.
Sign up for Neighbourhood Watch Scotland Alerts to stay up to date with what is going on in your community: www.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk
Report any suspicious behaviour to Police Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Report scams to Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or via scamwatch.scot.
Find out More
Find traders in Scotland who have been vetted by Trading Standards:approvedtrader.scot
The Scam
A woman in her 80s was cold called this week and told that she was due to pay £189 as a final instalment for a TV repair contract. The woman was unsure which company was calling but was worried that she owed them money, so agreed to provide her card details and make the payment.
If you are worried about an older relative receiving scam calls, you can sign them up to the Telephone Preference Service for free by calling 034 070 0707 or online at www.tpsonline.org.uk.
Many home phone providers offer services (some of which are free) to block unwanted calls.
There is also a range of standalone devices that can be used to block/ monitor calls such as trueCall Secure call blockers.
How to Avoid
If you receive a cold call about appliance insurance or warranties and are not sure if it is legitimate, hang up and contact your insurance provider or the original supplier to verify.
Don’t agree to make any payments on the spot and never give a cold caller any personal information or bank details, even if they seem to know some of your details already.
There have been recent reports of cold callers offering pension reviews. One woman agreed to have a review carried out and was told that she could have a more substantial, easier to manage pension. She was persuaded to transfer £96,000 into an overseas pension scheme, which turned out to be a pyramid scheme. The firm went into liquidation shortly after she had invested in them.
Cold calling about pensions is illegal and is likely to be a scam.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published five common warning signs of a pension scam:
Being offered a free pension review out of the blue;
Being offered guaranteed higher returns – claiming they can get you better returns on your pension savings;
Being offered to help to release cash from your pension, even though you’re under 55;
High-pressure sales tactics – scammers may try to pressure you with ‘time-limited offers’ or even send a courier to your door to wait while you sign documents;
Unusual investments which tend to be unregulated and high risk.
How to Avoid
The FCA have four steps to avoid pension scams:
Reject unexpected offers - don't respond to unsolicited calls, emails or texts about your pension
Check who you're dealing with - check the status of a firm before making a financial decision about your pension by visiting the FCA register: register.fca.org.uk/s/
Don't be rushed or pressured into making a decision - take plenty of time to do research and to talk to family or friends
Get impartial information and advice - seek advice from a firm authorised by the FCA before making any changes to your pension arrangements, or contact Money Helper, who offer free independent and impartial information and guidance
The Scam
There have been recent reports of cold callers who say they are selling goods door-to-door as part of an 'ex-offender rehabilitation scheme'.
Some callers say they have just been released from prison or a young offenders institution and are selling goods to try and make some money before starting a college course.
Others claim that they are ex-servicemen suffering from PTSD and are selling items on behalf of the British Legion.
They typically offer goods such as household cleaning products, gardening equipment or craft supplies. Some may ask for donations for ex-prisoners. If a householder does not have cash, the cold caller may provide bank account details so that they can transfer money.
Although some of these cold callers show some form of ID card, they often don't have a pedlar's certificate or a licence from the police to allow them to sell door-to-door in the local area. The goods they offer are usually of poor quality and overpriced.
How to Avoid Never feel obliged to answer the door to a cold caller – it is your home and you should not let anyone in unless you feel comfortable.
If you do answer the door, verify that the person is genuine and take a note of the company’s details. ID cards can be faked – close the door and, rather than phoning the number on the ID card, look up the company’s number on their official website or in an official phone directory to check their identity. Legitimate callers will be happy to wait while you perform these checks.
If you feel uncomfortable or suspicious about a cold caller in your local area, phone Police Scotland on 101, or call 999 if you feel threatened.
Sign up for Neighbourhood Watch Scotland Alerts to stay up to date with what is going on in your community: www.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk
The Scam
There has been a recent increase in scam emails purporting to be from TV Licensing which say your licence is about to expire or that a recent direct debit has failed and your TV Licence cannot be automatically renewed.
You are asked to click on a link to log in to your account and update your details - it leads to a malicious website with TV Licensing branding which asks for your account details, payment information and personal details such as date of birth, address and phone number.
The scam email says that, if you do not do this within a certain time period, your TV License will be cancelled and your details will be passed to a debt collection agency.
How To Avoid
Genuine TV Licensing emails are sent from donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk or donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk and will include the customer name and/or part of the postcode.
They will only email customers about payments if they have missed one and will not ask you to provide card details until you have signed in on their official website: www.tvlicensing.co.uk.
TV Licensing advise that, if you are unsure whether a communication is genuine, you should sign in to your account on their website to check whether any action is required.
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.
