Here are the latest fraud alerts that Kent Police need us to be aware of.
Delivery Scams
How the scam works –
An unexpected parcel is delivered to the victim’s door, which will normally contain a high value item such as a laptop or iPhone. Shortly after the delivery, a person wearing a unform from the same company will attend and state that the item was delivered in error and that they are there
to take it back. However, it is a scam. The item would have been ordered in the persons name without their knowledge and the criminals would have tracked the order to know when it was delivered and when to knock on the door to say it is all one big error. The totally unaware occupier will not know there has been a scam until they receive letters requesting payment for the item. If you get an unexpected delivery that you have not ordered, then contact the company and agree with them which courier company will collect it and on what day they will attend.
Olympic Scams
With the games almost upon us, criminals will be busy targeting the public with fake offers and in particular fake tickets. If you are you planning a trip to see the Summer Olympic and Paralympic games, then remember to purchase only from the official Paris 2024 ticketing website – Paris 2024 Official Ticketing – Olympic and Paralympic Games this is the only authorised source for buying tickets. Also beware of fake emails offering free Olympic prizes and all you have to do is fill in a survey, as these will be scams seeking to steal your personal and financial information.
Finally, be mindful of fake websites offering official merchandise at a substantially reduced price, such as clothing etc. as often the items will
never be received. Only purchase items from reputable sources and carry out your research.
Gift Card Scams
We have seen an increase in scams involving people being asked to purchase gift cards from stores. Fraudsters, claiming to be legitimate employees of organisations such as the police, DVLA or HMRC and are phoning customers and telling them they need to buy gift cards to pay for nonexistent fines and taxes. If you receive a request from someone asking you to buy a gift card or several gift cards to pay a fine, tax or a fee to win a prize, this is fraud! People should also be wary if you receive an email from one of your contacts asking you to buy them a gift card, it’s likely that a scammer is behind the message. Gift cards are popular with criminals as they can be used to launder money, are less likely to be intercepted by crime agencies, and are difficult to trace compared to bank transfers. If you ever get a request to purchase gift cards for a payment, then this is a
red flag for a possible scam.
Royal Mail Email Scam
Royal Mail scam emails reported over 5,000 times. The email will state that you have missed a delivery and that a parcel is waiting to be redelivered and asks you to click on a link. However, it is all a scam and takes you to a realistic website under the control of the criminals
where they will look to steal your personal and financial data. Always report suspicious emails by forwarding them to: Report@phishing.gov.uk
QR Codes as enablers of fraud – “An Alert from Action Fraud”
QR codes or quick response codes work when the user scans them via a digital device, usually a smartphone. They are widely used for quickly directing users to websites, logging into devices or ordering or paying for good and services. Cyber criminals are increasingly using QR technology to scam victims, by creating their own malicious QR codes designed to trick people into handing over banking and/or personal information.
Analysis by Action Fraud from reports across the UK reveals that most of these scams tend to happen in open spaces, such as car parks or parking meters. A common scam involves malicious QR code stickers being placed on top of legitimate QR codes in car parks. These will then link to genuine looking payment sites that steal personal and financial data. Action Fraud are also seeing an increase in the number of fake emails using QR codes. Between October 2023 and June 2024, they received 199 reports from across the UK relating to this type of criminality.
Advice on how to use QR codes safely
QR codes used in pubs and restaurants are probably safe for you to scan. Scanning a QR Code in open spaces (stations or car parks) might be riskier. Check for tampered QR Code stickers and if in doubt do not scan them and use a search engine to find the official website or app for the organisation you need to make payment to. If you receive an email with a QR code in it and you are asked to scan it, then exercise extreme caution, as Action Fraud are seeing an increase in these types of “quishing attacks.” When scanning a QR code, use the scanner that comes with your phone, rather than using an app downloaded from an app store.
AI Voice Cloning
Voice cloning is when a person’s voice is recorded and then used to create audio content of that person speaking. Fraudsters can use a voice recording of someone to make them say anything that they want them to. There is a possibility that criminals can use the voice of a person to create a more believable version of the ‘Hi mum and dad’ scam on WhatsApp. Normally, victims receive calls out of the blue from a loved one in distress who eventually needs them to transfer money for some made up emergency.
How to spot these scams
• The caller will likely not say much – perhaps they will say something short like ‘please help me’.
• Listen for unusual background noises and unexpected changes in the tone of the caller that indicate you are not having a real time conversation with a person. Also listen out for unusual pauses.
• Ask the caller for as much detail as possible, as only the real person will know these.
• You may be asked to make a payment using gift cards or cryptocurrencies, as these are typical of scams.
Bank Impersonation Scam
If you are contacted by your Bank stating there is a problem with your account and that you are being targeted for fraud and that you need to post your money via secure mail to an address for safe keeping or for it to be paid into a new account, STOP, IT’S A SCAM.
Your Bank will never contact you like this or ask you to post money to an address. We have seen several reports of this type of offence recently.
Please advise family and friends about this scam.
More AI Scams - Deep Fake Videos
A deepfake video is where the person in it has been digitally altered to appear as a different person. Criminals use this technique to make it appear as if someone, usually a popular celebrity or trusted person, is saying something they are not. For example, they can make it seem like a celebrity is promoting a fraudulent investment scheme with words from their own mouth. However, the video is fake. Deepfake videos can also be used to steal people’s identities or to pass verification checks and access victims’ accounts as well as to create images of completely non-existent people.
How to spot these scams:
• Some deepfake videos use lip-syncing, so watch the video carefully for lip-syncing that is slightly off.
• Pay attention to details in the quality – does the hair, lighting and skin tone of the person look believable? Is there any blurring in the video?
• Listen out for strange background noises or robotic voices.
• Look for unnatural expressions – it is hard to mimic natural blinking and AI often lacks facial emotion and AI body movements can seem off.
• Where does the video come from? If it is not an official account or if it is an account you have never heard of and you have not seen the video anywhere else, be wary.
Investment Scams
We are still seeing a number of reports of victims for this type of criminality. Often the victim will only become aware that they have been scammed when they either to try to encash or withdraw part of their investment. How to protect yourself from Financial Investment fraud:
Investment opportunities: Do not be rushed into making an investment. Remember, legitimate organisations will never pressure you into investing on the spot.
Seek advice first: Before making significant financial decisions, speak with trusted friends or family members, or seek professional independent
advice.
FCA register: Use the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) register to check if the company is regulated by the FCA. If you deal with a firm (or individual) that is not regulated, you may not be covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) if things go wrong and you lose your money.
For more information about how to invest safely, please visit: https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart
Remote Access Scams
Another Fraud reported all too often is remote access scams. Remote Access scams will often begin with a browser pop-up saying that your computer is infected with a virus or a call from someone claiming to be from your bank saying that they need to connect to your computer in order to cancel a fraudulent transaction on your account. Regardless of the narrative that the fraudster’s use, their goal is to steal your money or
access your financial information by tricking you into allowing them to remotely connect to your computer.
Remember –
• A tech company, telecommunications provider, bank or service provider will never contact you out of the blue requesting remote access to your device.
• Only install software or grant remote access to your computer if you are asked by someone you know and trust, such as a friend or family member, and never as a result of an unsolicited call, browser pop up, or text message.
• Your bank will not ask you to reply to an e-mail with personal information, or details about your account. If you contact them, use a phone number/email address that you know to be true, rather than one sent to you in an email – it may be false.
• It is okay to reject, refuse or ignore requested. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
Advance Fee Fraud
A Kent resident has reported receiving a call from a person stating that they worked for an advisory group on behalf of the Government and that they had overpaid their mortgage and were owed more than £4,000 and that they had a cheque ready to post to them. They then stated that
they need to pay some admin fee’s first and needed to send £300 to an address via royal mail. It was a scam and the intended victim disconnected the call. This is a variation of various types of telephone scams that we receive reports of each day and is known as an Advance Fee Fraud. This is when fraudsters target victims to make advance or upfront payments for goods, services and/or financial gains that do not materialise.
Remember the ABC of fraud awareness –
• A – Never Assume that a caller is genuine.
• B – Never believe that a caller is genuine.
• C – Always confirm by disconnecting the call and calling back via a trusted number, no one supplied by the caller.
If they call out of the blue with offers of money in return for a fee, then STOP, it is a SCAM.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this or any other type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
