Criminals can directly steal your personal credentials, like usernames and passwords, through tactics such as phishing emails. Additionally, hackers may obtain this information from the services you use if they experience a data breach.

 

• If you think either situation has occurred, it's crucial to change your password immediately.

• If you've reused the same password on other accounts, make sure to update those as well.

 

Websites like Have I Been Pwned can inform you if your information has been exposed in a significant data breach and can even notify you of future breaches.

If you have already been scammed or the item has not arrived, contact the company directly; this always looks good when you explain yourself to the bank or financial service. Some companies (I have personally experienced this) will delay and delay; this is to prevent you from opening a case against them within a set time period. I believe a small part of them also hopes you'll forget over time. PayPal, for example, now allows you 180 days to open a dispute, which used to be considerably shorter and is now much more customer-friendly.

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What to do

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Contact your bank or financial service. There are many ways to do this, but often the quickest is via the app, which, in my experience, nearly always connects you with a person. It is much easier to explain what has happened than type. Most banks are reasonable and will refund you immediately and seek the service provider to justify their transaction. Report Fraud asks that you also report it to them so that they can monitor real figures and potential risks to take action against fraud. 

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Contact Report Fraud

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I recently used an AI dermatology Identifier; the cost was £5.30. The bill on my statement was £5.30 + £13.65, which I did not authorise. I had to explain this to Lloyds, and effectively the company has stated that there was a tick box which was automatically on, which offered a deeper service. My argument was and currently still is: I did not see this box, nor expect it, or want a deeper service. I should have had the option to tick it if I wanted the service.

 

We will see; I have been refunded whilst Lloyds investigates. I'll keep you posted.

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For information on how to prevent this, please see our News page here

Romance fraud is where criminals create false online personalities to earn your trust and affection, ultimately deceiving you into sending money or personal information.

 

Red Flags include:

• Rapidly developing feelings, AKA lovebombing.

• Frequently making excuses to avoid in-person meetings.

• Requesting urgent financial assistance for emergencies or travel costs.

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Protect Yourself

• Never send money or give bank details 

• Search the person's photo online

• Talk openly with trusted friends or family members about the new relationship

• Stop all contact immediately if something does not feel right

We have more information on this scam and others in our News section.

Fraudulent job scams revolve around criminals pretending to be employers or recruitment consultants to deceive job seekers out of money, personal information, or banking details. These scams often attract victims with offers of high salaries for remote work and usually conduct "interviews" solely through messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram.

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Red Flags:

• Requests for payment: Employers will never ask you to pay for background checks, application processing, training, or equipment.

• Fake check: Scammers may send you a check to buy "home office equipment" or software, which later bounces after you have wired the funds to their fake suppliers.

• Vague email domains: Correspondence from generic email addresses (e.g., @gmail.com) or modified company domains (e.g., @companyname-hr.com)

• Unsolicited offers: Be highly suspicious of sudden job offers for positions you never applied for, or jobs that require minimal effort.

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How to Protect Yourself:

• Verify the source: Never share sensitive financial or identity details early in the hiring process. 

• Cross-check job postings: Always look for the role on the official company careers page and verify to see if the recruiter's identity on LinkedIn.

Read more on this and other articles on our News page.

You've received a call from a loved one saying that they are in trouble, then another voice comes on the line threatening their life unless you pay them in cash, crypto, or gift cards.

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This could be an AI deepfake voice scam, where a sample of a voice has been taken to clone it and make you believe they're in danger.  It may have also been linked up with personal data like names and addresses to make it seem more real.

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Red Flags:

• You're being rushed into taking action

• You're being asked to pay using untraceable currency like cash, crypto, or gift cards

• You're being told not to talk to anyone else

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How to Protect Yourself:

• Hang up. Scammers will try to keep you on the line, but break that connection

• Talk to others. Tell them what just happened and let them help you get some clarity

• Have codewords that only you and your loved ones will know.

• If you've sent money, contact your bank immediately

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Losing access to our digital world, whether it's your email, social media, or online banking, can be stressful. This guide will help you minimize the impact and regain access to your accounts.

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How to Determine If You've Been Hacked

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• Review your online accounts for any unauthorized activity.

• Keep an eye out for the following signs: 

• ​Difficulty logging into your accounts

•  Alterations to your security settings 

• ​Messages or notifications sent from your account that you don’t recognize 

• ​Logins or attempted logins from unfamiliar locations or at odd hours

• ​Unauthorized money transfers or purchases from your accounts.

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What to do

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• If it is your bank, building society or other financial service, contact them immediately. They can freeze your accounts.

• ​For socials, emails etc:

• ​Log into your account using a clean device if possible. 

• ​At this point, head to your email.

• ​Now check auto forwarding. Turn this off. Delete any unrecognised addresses. Hackers often auto-forward to intercept reset codes.

• ​Look for forced log out on all accounts. Sign out of all devices.

• Sign back in and change passwords immediately.

• ​Enable Multi Factor Authentication MFA.

• ​Run antivirus and review banks, cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay and any other financial institution you may use, especially online wallets and crypto.

• ​Warn friends and family you have been hacked, keep others on their toes for a potential threat. Fraudsters often target your contacts next. This helps stop the spread of scams.​​

Sextortion scams are phishing attacks where you may be pressured into paying a Bitcoin due to threats of having videos released of you visiting adult websites.

 

These scams gain credibility by presenting seemingly believable technical details about how the information was obtained, and they may even include the victim's password.

 

These phishing attempts are crafted to exploit people's emotions. Scammers rely on the hope that enough individuals will fall for their tactics to make the scheme profitable; they have no knowledge of whether you own a webcam, have visited the sites, or how you communicate with others – they are essentially making educated guesses. 

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What to do

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• If you pay, they will most likely target you over and over again.

• ​Report it to gov.uk.

• ​If the Phish includes passwords, change them immediately and any other account that has this same password.

• ​If you have paid, report to the police on 101

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This is a wide and varied scam subject. It can encapsulate anything from a new roof that didn't need replacing, to new doors and windows when there was nothing wrong with the old ones. It could be that the standard of quality is so low that these are not professional trade. 

Home improvement fraud happens when dishonest workers con homeowners using high-pressure sales, fake deals and unfinished jobs.

 

Red Flags Include

• Unsolicited visits: "just happened to be in the neighbourhood, with extra supplies from a job we have just finished".

• Demand for cash: Fraudsters often insist on cash-only payments or large upfront deposits.

• High pressure: They force you to sign a contract immediately by claiming a special low price ends today.

• Scare tactics: They warn you of a sudden, dangerous home emergency like a collapsing roof or faulty wires.

 

Protect yourself

• Get multiple quotes: Ask at least three different workers for written estimates to compare reasonable prices.

• Never pay in full: Keep your money until the job is done, or pay in small stages as work finishes.

• Check credentials: Ask for official proof of local licenses and insurance.

• Get a written contract: Make sure every single task, material, and cost is clear on paper before work begins.

Check out some of our stories of cowboy builders in our News page.

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QR Code Spoofing (Quishing): This is where criminals paste fake QR stickers over legitimate public signs (usually parking signs and meters) to redirect drivers to fraudulent payment sites that capture credit card information and charges.

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I have personal experience of this in my local area: A tourist visiting Bridgnorth told me that they paid to park in one of the main car parks for the steam railway. After enjoying a lovely day out and weekend away, they returned home, only to be contacted weeks later by an enforcement letter regarding non-payment of parking. This was disputed, which took time and unnecessary energy; bank statements were proven and the car parking company remained tough; they would not take on board the fact that they had been scammed too. They were not co-operative with the tourist; the last I heard from this lovely visitor was that they were heading to a tribunal for a third party to decide who should pay and how much. The car parking company still wants to fine the visitor. For more information on this scam and similar fraud, see our News Pages.