Here are the most recent fraud alerts from Kent Police.
Fake Penalty Charge
We have had several reports of the below parking fine or commonly known as a penalty charge notice being received via text message, it is a SCAM. Do not click on the link, as it is designed to take you to a realistic website under the control of the criminals where they will look to steal your personal and financial data. If you are not sure if a text message is genuine, then always apply our Scam Awareness message ABC, which is never Assume or Believe a message is genuine but always Confirm. In other words, contact the sender by using a trusted phone number.
You can report Scam text messages by forwarding to 7726.
Pensions Scams
Action Fraud warns to look out for pension fraudsters as new data reveals a total loss of £17.7 million in 2023. Action Fraud is warning savers to stay vigilant and protect their pensions and investments from fraudsters trying to trick people out of their lifetime savings, as new data reveals £17.7 million lost to pension fraud last year. There were 559 reports of pension fraud in total and £17,750,635 lost in 2023, with an average loss of £46,959 per person. Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, has launched a pension fraud awareness campaign, warning people to protect their pension pots and investments from fraudsters, by encouraging the public to do their research before making changes to pension arrangements.
How can you protect yourself?
Here are some steps to protect yourself from fraudsters trying to steal your pension:-
• Unsolicited communication about your pension: if you get a call out of the blue (a cold call) about your pension, the safest thing to do is hang up. It is illegal and probably a fraudster. If you get offers via email or text, you should simply ignore them.
• Seek advice first: if you are thinking about changing your pension arrangements, you should get financial advice beforehand. If you want to find an adviser, make sure they’re authorised by the – Never take advice from the company that contacted you, this may be part of the scam.
• Investment opportunities: do not be rushed into making an investment. Remember, legitimate organisations will never pressure you into investing on the spot.
Delivery Scams
If you get a delivery of a parcel that you were not expecting and shortly afterwards someone purporting to be a delivery driver knocks on your door and states it was delivered in error and that they have come to collect it – STOP, it could be a scam.
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 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 person’s name without their knowledge and the criminals will 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 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.
Mobile Phone Scam - It's called Vishing
The scam begins with a phone call, with the scammer impersonating a mobile phone service provider, offering an upgrade at a cheaper price and for your loyalty a free watch. Having gathered your personal data, the scammer then contacts the phone company impersonating you and the phone company posts out a new handset to your address. When it arrives, you are contacted again by the scammer impersonating the mobile
phone service provide again and advise that the wrong phone has been sent out. You are then asked to post it back, so that the correct phone can be sent, however the address you are requested to send it to is under the control of the scammer. They may even say that they will send a courier to collect the phone. Once the scammer receives the new phone, they disappear, leaving you with no phone and a new, more expensive contract.
If you get any calls like this, then take their details and ring the company back but not using a number provided by the caller to confirm that it is genuine. Remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true, then it is.
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.
