21/03/24
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
Doorstep Scams: Inspections
A couple in the Central Belt were recently cold called by a man who said he wanted to inspect building work carried out the previous year by another company. They agreed to let him check the roof, after which he told them he had discovered various issues.
He gave them a quotation for £3,000 to resolve the issues he had supposedly found and asked for a deposit of almost £700.
After the couple had paid the deposit, they did some research online and couldn't find any information about the company the man said he worked for. They contacted the company who had done work for them the previous year, who said they had no knowledge of the inspection.
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.
Rather than dealing with cold callers, find traders who have been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme at approvedtrader.scot
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
Royal Mail has warned that scammers are impersonating them and are putting notes through doors (example shown on left) saying that they couldn't deliver a package.
The note includes a QR code that you are asked to scan to rebook the delivery - it says that if you do not do this, the package will be returned to the sender.
There have also been reports of similar scam emails purportedly from Royal Mail saying that they have been unable to deliver a package due to an incorrect address. You are asked to scan a QR code to update the address details.
In both of these examples, the QR code leads to a malicious website using Royal Mail branding which asks you to enter personal and payment details.
How to Avoid Never scan a QR code from an unfamiliar or unexpected email. If the message appears to have been sent by a company or organisation, visit their legitimate website to make a payment or update details rather than scanning a code.
Review the preview of the QR code’s URL before opening it to see if it appears legitimate. You can do this by opening your mobile device camera and pointing this at the QR code. This will identify the webpage link and provide the site address the code will take you to. Make sure the website uses HTTPS rather than HTTP, doesn’t have obvious misspellings and has a trusted domain. Don’t click on unfamiliar or shortened links.
Royal Mail and other legitimate parcel delivery services will not contact you unexpectedly to ask for personal or payment details.
Royal Mail will only send email and text notifications to customers who have requested this when using certain trackable products.
If you need to pay a surcharge for an underpaid item, they will leave a grey 'Fee To Pay' card - they will not request payment by email or text.
Any legitimate request to pay a fee will lead to the Royal Mail Fee to Pay site (www.royalmail.com/receiving-mail/pay-a-fee).
If you’re concerned that a text or email may be a scam, you can visit royalmail.com/track-your-item to check if the barcode/tracking number provided is correct.
Find an up to date list of recently reported scam emails and texts on the Royal Mail's website, where you can also report websites using Royal Mail branding which you think may be fraudulent.
The Scam
There have been several recent reports of automated calls purportedly from 'HMRC Courts' which claim that an arrest warrant has been issued as you have violated tax regulations.
You are asked to press 1 to speak to a caseworker to make a payment.
HMRC advise on their website that HM Courts & Tribunals Service is separate from HMRC.It is not involved with tax payments and will not contact individuals about tax matters.
How to Avoid HMRC will never leave a message threatening legal action or arrest. If you receive a similar call, hang up.
Don't follow instructions given in an automated call. If you press 1, you may be put through to a scammer who will ask for your personal details, which they could potentially use to commit fraud.
If you are unsure if a message from HMRC is genuine, check their website (www.gov.uk/government/collections/check-a-list-of-genuine-hmrc-contacts) before providing any details.
Links in any genuine letters or emails from them will lead to the www.gov.uk website. If a link includes the word 'gov' but ends in .co.uk it is likely to be fake.
The Scam
There has been a recent increase in scammers posing as police officers. The scammers typically cold call and say they have concerns regarding fraudulent use of your bank card. They may mention that local bank staff are being investigated and ask you to help them test security procedures.
They ask you to transfer funds to a 'safe account' or to visit your local bank branch to withdraw money, to 'check that staff are responding appropriately'. A scammer will then visit your house to collect the money, usually with a fake Police Scotland ID card.
Police Officers or your bank will never ask you to transfer money to another account or withdraw money from your account. They will never ask you to disclose personal financial information.
How to Avoid
If Police Scotland contact you, they will do so in person, by phone or by email. This will depend on the circumstances surrounding why they need to contact you.
If an officer contacts you in person, they’ll show you their police warrant card. This is proof of their identity and authority and you can verify this by dialling 101.
If an officer needs to speak to you on the phone or by email, they'll identify themselves clearly.
They will never:
ask you for your bank details or PIN
ask you to transfer funds to another account
ask you to hand over cash or bank cards to a courier
ask you to pay a fine or a fee to them or a third party over the phone or online
ask you for remote access to your computer, passwords or log on details over the phone or online
ask you to register personal details in an attachment they send or website they direct towards
ask you to 'assist' in an investigation by doing any of the above
communicate in an abusive, threatening or coercive manner
ask you to click on a hyperlink to participate in an investigation
If you're unsure about whether the person you're dealing with is a genuine police officer, call 101 to check their identity.
You should also contact 101 if you think you've experienced fraud.
The Campaign
Citizens Advice Scotland is running a new campaign called 'Stressed About Debt?' which encourages people who are worried about their bills or stressed about their debts to seek advice.
The rising costs of essentials, especially energy bills, has meant that hundreds of thousands of people, through no fault of their own, have fallen behind on their bills and find themselves in debt.
The campaign website, www.cas.org.uk/stressed allows people to pick an advice route that works for them, such as online self-help tools, online advice pages or one to one advice from their local CAB.
The Money Map tool pulls together online resources that can help you to access support to boost your income, save money and cut the costs of daily living. From benefits to grants, council tax to housing, energy to food and clothing, the Money Map will send you to the most helpful sites where financial assistance can be accessed.
The cost of living crisis has also led to a rise in illegal money lending and people in financial difficulties may feel that they have no option but to turn to a loan shark.
If you are struggling with debt or if you have already borrowed money from a loan shark and are feeling trapped, out of control or isolated, please reach out to the Scottish Illegal Money Lending Unit (SIMLU) and talk to one of the many organisations who can help you. You may feel that you have nowhere to turn, but help is available - you are not alone.
SIMLU can also offer advice and support if you are worried that a friend or relative has borrowed from a loan shark on social media and is struggling to pay them back.
We have updated our collection of 22 ScamShare PDFs, each of which shines a spotlight on a particular scam that is frequently reported by Scottish consumers. They include examples of scam messages and tips on how to avoid and report scams.
They can be viewed online or downloaded and printed off for those who are not online.
If Local Authority Trading Standards teams or partner organisations would like to customise these resources with their own logos, please get in touch with us to request this.
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.
