A scam is a deception, trick or persuasion done to make a person part with something, usually money. Scams come in many forms including fake emails (phishing), romance scams, winning a fictitious lottery or fake prize, selling of fake music venue tickets, or someone knocking on the doorstep pretending to be a professional tradesperson or utility employee.
Anyone can be a target and scams affect the lives of millions of people across the UK every day.
If you know what to look out for, you’re less likely to be taken in.
Doorstep scams take place when someone comes to your door and tries to scam you out of your money or tries to gain access to your home. Doorstep scammers aren't always pushy and persuasive, they may seem polite or friendly. So if you're not expecting someone it's important to be vigilant when you answer the door, especially if you live on your own.
Online scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and many people are caught out, even those who are regular internet users. Every year in the UK, millions of people lose money to scammers or unknowingly share their personal information.
Email or phishing scams - Phishing emails often look professional and from a trustworthy source, such as your bank, utility provider or Government body. The email will try to trick you into entering your personal or financial details. They may direct you to a fake website, trick you into thinking you've won a lottery or prize. Phishing emails often have errors in the spelling or grammar, or an unusual style of writing and contain requests for personal information, such as your username, full password or bank details - genuine organisations will never ask this. They often contain threats that unless you act now, a deal will expire or your account closed.
Fake websites - fraudsters create fake websites which look official and request you provide personal or financial information. For example, a fake bank website may be set up asking you to update your account or security information. Often, they will look very similar to the official website and only a few details may be different. There are also websites set up to look like a copy of a service offered by government websites. For example, websites which offer to help you apply for a passport renewal or a new driving licence. These websites charge you a fee if you use them, rather than going directly through the official government department where the service is free of charge.
Computer viruses – are designed to affect your computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone so it doesn’t work correctly. You may be sent an email with an attachment, which when you click on it will release a virus. Scammers use the virus to take control of your computer or scan it for personal information. It can also slow your computer down, send out spam email or delete files.
Romance scams - scammers often use dating apps and websites, creating fake profiles and preying on people looking for a romantic partner. They attempt to gain your trust by providing written and verbal affection and sharing personal information. Once they’ve gained your trust they start to ask you to send them money, often for a personal emergency (such as needing money for personal treatment, a sick family member or suffering from financial hardship). Once you’ve sent them the money they will often come back and ask for more.
Telephone scams are a common way for scammers to con people out of money. They will call you unsolicited pretending they are from a trusted organisation, such as your bank or the police.
These scam calls may be from a real person or can be automated. They may ask you for your personal information like banking details or ask you to transfer money. It can be tricky to tell the difference between a scam and cold calling.
Smishing is a scam in which someone tries to get a user’s personal or financial information via SMS or instant messaging (on social networks) by pretending to be an entity such as a bank or a credit card company.
Postal scams are getting more sophisticated and it can be difficult to spot the difference between scam mail, junk mail and offers from legitimate companies.
There are some simple steps people can take to help protect themselves from scams:
If you have been a victim, don’t be embarrassed about reporting a scam – you could prevent it from happening to others.
If someone has been scammed, there are 3 steps they need to take:
It’s also important for us to all talk about our experiences with family and friends. By letting them know what’s happened they can be prepared, and together we can put a stop to scams.
To learn more about different types of scams and how to protect yourself and others, visit FriendsAgainstScams (opens in new window) and complete the free online training.
You can check recent scams on Action Fraud’s website, and sign up for Action fraud alert (opens in new window) to find out about scams in your area.
We are working together with other utility companies and National Trading Standards to raise awareness around scams as it is a growing issue affecting people globally.
Utility companies interact with customers on a daily basis, whether this is face-to-face when carrying out work in a community or in a customer’s home, having a telephone conversation or communicating digitally.
With the digital age, it is becoming easier for criminals to pose as legitimate companies and scam people out of large sums of money. This not only impacts on customers both financially and emotionally, but also creates reputational risk for businesses and the wider industry. We can play a crucial part in spotting signs that a customer could need support and alerting those organisations who can help.
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