| We continue to receive reports of this type of text message fraud. Typically, the potential victim will receive a text or email message from a recognised company to say that they have tried to deliver a parcel and that there is now a delivery fee for it to be resent. These “phishing” messages are sent to thousands of phone numbers, in the hope that someone is actually expecting to get a parcel and that they’ll click on the link without thinking.
If you click the link the fraudsters will request personal and bank or card details in order to rearrange delivery. The details you provide are then used to commit identity fraud or make fraudulent transactions. The link may also be used to download spyware or a virus onto your phone or computer. You may then be contacted a short time later by the fraudster who will claim to be from the bank to say that there is a problem with your account and that your money is at risk. Using the information that they got from the initial phishing text, they will then try to get you to move your money into a “safe account” which is one belonging to the criminal and you are simply handing them your money. They may even contact you to say that they are police officers and that your money is at risk and needs to be moved urgently or you’ll lose it. Unfortunately, these criminals are very good at panicking people into believing their lies. Why is Fraud a priority for Avon and Somerset Police? Fraud now represents a third of all crime reported in the United Kingdom. It costs the UK economy an estimated £210 billion a year Only 20% of frauds are reported to the police One in three people have been a victim of fraud Fraud can affect people’s mental health as they feel too embarrassed to reveal they were a victim The attached document has a couple of scam examples. Attachments: |
Timberscombe 