If you've been scammed, you'll probably be targeted again

It is an unfortunately thing to say, but if you have fallen victim to a scam in the past, there is a strong possibility that the criminals will try to target you again.

As we have previously reported at The Scam Hound, when a fraudster locks onto a target and knows it is likely that they may be able to extort more money or information from someone, they continue until the vtictim is bled dry - we have covered instances like this relating to friendship fraud and romance fraud in the past. At their worst, victims can lose huge sums of money, but in other cases, it can just be plain annoying.

One such instance involves British actor Lisa Riley, who was preparing to travel to the US last year, so applied online for an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta) visa waiver. It is a relatively simple proces which you complete online, costs USD$40 and normally gets approved in under an hour.

Riley found the site through a Google search, filled in her passport, bank and personal details, and waited. However, the confirmation failed to arrive.

When she emailed an address on the site where she filled in the form and paid she received a message with a link to a website which displayed a jumble of words and letters. At this point, she realised she had been scameed and it was a fake Esta site. It is an easy mistake to make, as this writer can attest - when I was travelling to the US regularly around 15 years ago, there were multiple warnings about only using the official site and to not go through a third party.

“The webpage was absolutely identical so there was nothing that would remotely make me fearful up until [I realised],” Riley says.

It was the start of a torrent of calls and text messages from criminals which has been ongoing for more than a year.

Riley says that she gets calls from people claiming to be from her bank with queries about a money transfer. “Calls are once a week, easy – sometimes twice a week,” she says. “And the texts even more often.”

According to Nationwide, 15% of us have given personal information to something which turned out to be a scam, and it leaves us open to future frauds.

“Criminals do sadly retarget people after an initial scam,” says Annya Burskys, head of fraud operations at Nationwide. “They take the personal information they have gained and either sell it on to other scammers or use them to make follow-up bank impersonation calls, texts and emails appear more convincing.”

For the Esta website, the advice is to only use the official one, which has a .gov address, or to use the mobile app.

“Applicants should protect their Esta confirmation number and payment details, retain application records, and review financial statements for unauthorised charges,” says a US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson.

“Suspected fraud should be documented and reported promptly to the applicant’s financial institution and appropriate local government reporting channels.”

In the UK, this would be Report Fraud.

If you believe you have handed over your personal details to a rogue party, you are at further risk of future scams, so the advice is to remain vigilant and be wary of any unsolicited calls, texts or emails.

“Don’t feel pressured to act. A genuine call or message from your bank will never ask you to move money, never ask you to share codes, and will never tell you what to say to your bank or friends, family,” says Burskys.

“Take a moment to verify who you’re speaking to and contact your bank directly using trusted contact information from your bank card or search for the official website if you’re unsure.”

Source: The Guardian

This article has been created for information purposes only and is not considered financial advice.

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