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A new report has issued a stark warning, revealing that a quarter of adults in the UK (24%) now encounter multiple scam attempts weekly. Digital online spaces, such as emails, calls, texts, social media, adverts, and online marketplaces, are identified as the common starting points for these fraudulent encounters. The 'State of Scams in the UK' report, released by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) with Cifas and Tietoevry Banking, also highlights that older adults are particularly susceptible to these vicious scams. “They are from a very trusting generation and were brought up to respect authority, so if someone is doing a bank impersonation scam and sounds quite authoritative, then they are more likely to listen and follow their guidance,” says Jessica Hampson, CEO of CEL Solicitors, a legal firm that helps thousands of scam victims recover their money. “Scammers know this and absolutely prey on that age range.” In light of this, we got in touch with some experts who have highlighted four common key scams to look out for and have shared advice on what to do if you are targeted. 1. Impersonation scams “Impersonation scams are when a fraudster poses as an individual or business in order to make people believe they are speaking to the legitimate person or business,” explains Sarah Lenette, financial crime specialist at Starling Bank. “They may pose as a business representative, government official or someone who works at your bank.” These types of scams can be very sophisticated. “Some scammers will even mirror the hold music your bank has and can even spoof numbers so it looks like the bank is texting you or calling you,” warns Hampson. What to do: “Remember that you should never share personal or financial information or one time passcodes without confirming you are speaking to the trusted organisation or person,” advises Lenette. “If you’re being asked for this info by a ‘company’, I’d recommend hanging up and calling the company directly from the number found on their official website. “If they are claiming to be your bank, call 159. This is the easiest way to contact most banks to check if a call is really from them. Starling Bank also has a feature called ‘Call Status Indicators’, which lets customers know if we’re on the phone to you or not.” 2. Family scams “We have also seen a lot of family impersonation scams, where the scammers send text messages or call pretending to be a family member,” shares Hampson. “They work because your defences will obviously go down because it’s a loved one and you think they’re in need, so these types of scams really play on those emotions.” Lenette warns that some fraudsters are even using AI technology to clone the voices of friends and family members, using just three seconds of online audio of their voices. “There are a few warning signs for this, such as the tone with which the ‘person’ is speaking,” says Lenette. “Think about whether their voice sounds flatter, if there’s any background noise that might come with a usual voice clip, and if there are any sudden shifts in pronunciation and unnatural pauses. “If the voice is meant to be that of someone you know, I’d also recommend thinking about whether this sounds like something they would really say, as well as how they are ‘saying’ it.” What to do: “Call the family member on a number that you know to check if it’s real and also have a safe word or question in place,” recommends Hampson. “Ask them what the safe word is or a question, like what is the cat’s name, that a scammer wouldn’t know.” 3. Romance scams “Romance fraud is when fraudsters create online dating profiles, pretending to be someone they’re not in the hopes of tricking daters into sending them money,” explains Lenette. There are several red flags to look out for. “If something about them or the conversation feels off, you should ask yourself questions such as if you’re being given excuses as to why you can’t meet in person or have a video call, if your ‘partner’ has asked you to keep the relationship a secret, and if you can find this person on other social media platforms,” advises Lenette. A lot of romance scams involve scenarios where the scammer can’t meet you in real life. “We have seen a lot of scammers pretending to be oil rig workers or doctors that are working in third world countries so they can’t come over to see you in real life,” says Hampson. “An important way to keep yourself safe is to never send money to someone you’ve never met, no matter how much you trust them,” says Lenette. “Allowing another person to access your bank account, taking out a loan, or transferring money on someone else’s behalf, puts your money at risk. “Talk with a trusted friend or family member about new relationships. They may be able to provide support and help you to see things in a different light.” Reverse image searching on Google is also a handy way to see if they are using somebody else’s pictures, adds Hampson. 4. Investment and pension scams “Investment scams, including cryptocurrency scams, are how fraudsters try to convince people to part with their money through the offer of above-average levels of return, at what appears to be minimal risk,” explains Lenette. “These scams can apply to both our general savings and finances, as well as our pensions, with the fact that many people save for pensions means they can be a prime feeding ground for scammers.” These types of scams often originate from social media platforms like Instagram. “Be really mindful if somebody just adds you out of the blue and seems to have a very unrealistic lifestyle – i.e. posting pictures of loads of money, posing next to sports cars etc – and tells you that they made the money from a particular investment,” says Hampson. Even celebrity promoted investments could be fake. “You should also thoroughly scrutinise any investment promoted by a celebrity – as developments in deepfake technology make it extremely easy for scammers to use the faces and voices of trusted celebrities to promote their scams,” says Lenette. “For example, someone like Martin Lewis has been impersonated hundreds of times. Ultimately, the key rule of thumb for all investment scams is to ask yourself if it sounds too good to be true.” Furthermore, Hampson has seen a lot of investment scams starting out as romance scams. “They’ll often hook you into a romantic connection and then say I am investing in this, can I recommend this for you,” explains Hampson. What to do: “Type the name of the company into Google followed by the word scam to see if there have been any concerns or negative reviews written about it,” recommends Hampson. “You can also look at the company name on the FCA website to find out whether there’s any warnings against that company.”
