During these uncertain times, many criminals are preying on unsuspecting consumers and businesses, scamming even those who are informed and aware. Nobody is safe! These scams come in the form of phishing, emails and telephone calls which try to extract financial or personal information from us. We all need to be vigilant, alert and informed as to how these scams work.
5 things you can do to avoid becoming a victim of fraud:
- Don’t trust blindly
Scammers often pretend to be someone from an organisation that you’d trust or a family member. Be wary of anyone from the government, a charity, someone claiming to be a family member or even someone claiming to be from the HMRC who elicits personal information from you over email or on the phone.
2. Do some digging
Make sure to do some research online about any person or company who might seem suspicious. You can use the word “scam” in the search, to help you find anything that might relate to their credibility as a legitimate person or company.
3. Don’t pay upfront
Scammers often require a payment upfront for something you haven’t yet received, for example debt relief. They may even tell you that you’ve won a prize and need to pay a fee upfront to claim it. It’s wise not to pay for anything of this nature upfront, as fraudsters will take your money and disappear.
4. Guard your information
Don’t provide your credit card, personal or private business information to anyone unless you know they’re trustworthy and credible, and you know who you’re paying. Even if the person on the other end of the phone or email seems to know most of your details already, which is a common ploy that is easy to miss.
5. Audit your books regularly
Businesses should conduct regular audits of their books, to help detect fraud particularly in high risk areas of the business, such as refunds and product returns. Businesses also need to train their employees to pick up on fraudulent activities or discrepancies.
Many people are more vulnerable during these uncertain times, and fraudsters are capitalising on this. If you suspect any fraudulent activities, you can visit these websites to report it or find out more information: