Financial Fraud Action estimates that, in the UK, a financial scam is committed every 15 seconds. Some of these dishonest schemes continue to take the traditional route through our letterboxes or onto our doorsteps – but an increasing majority now target that commanding gateway to our attention that’s with us throughout our waking hours: our phone. From bogus bank personnel to counterfeit couriers, scammers now adopt a whole gallery of convincing aliases from behind a keyboard. In this week’s online safety guide, we profile some of the most frequent attempted cons, highlight ways to avoid them and suggest what to do if you or someone in your family does inadvertently fall foul of a phone scam.
According to recent Ofcom research, 7 out of 10 people in the UK received a suspicious text to their mobile phone last year. Almost half (44%) of those say they get a such a message every week. Banks and consumer watchdogs alike are warning of an increase in attempted phone scams, which frequently target more vulnerable groups: the elderly and, of course, young people. Scammers’ tricks have become more sophisticated in the digital age: now they can convincingly pretend to represent our bank, our health services or even our loved ones. Stay wise to their rapidly evolving schemes and protect yourself – and your family – with today’s #WakeUpWednesday guide to phone scams.
