Identity theft, also known as identify fraud, is when a criminal pretends to be you. This is usually for the fraudster’s financial gain and can have a devastating impact on their victim’s finances. 

 

Identity theft is a serious offence as thieves can use your details to open a bank account, take out credit, purchase goods, take over your existing accounts or even obtain passports or driving licences in your name. Taking extra precautions to protect your information is key for preventing your identity from being stolen. We recommend the following steps to protect yourself:

 

• Always use a shredder to destroy any documents that include your name, address or financial details. 
• Look out for the padlock symbol on websites when making a purchase or inputting information, as this means the site is secure.
• If you receive an unsolicited call from someone claiming to represent your bank or building society, don’t hand over any security details, passwords or account numbers. We will never ask you for your full PIN or password.
• Use strong passwords (avoid birthdays) and don’t use the same password for everything. 
• Protect any devices that connect to the internet with up-to-date security and anti-virus software. 
• Never leave important documents in plain sight. 
• Consider switching to paperless billing. 
• If a bank or credit card statement doesn’t arrive, alert your bank or building society. 
• If you move house, ask Royal Mail to divert your mail for at least a year. 
• Consider keeping your social media profiles private, so that you’re not inadvertently sharing information with strangers. 
• Never post images showing your car’s number plate, as it can be used to obtain your address from DVLA records. 
• Identity theft can have a long-term impact on your credit rating, so ensure you check it regularly for any indiscretions. 

 

We take the security and protection of our customer data very seriously and if you believe that your data has been compromised in any way, we urge you to contact us immediately, so that we can help you to take the appropriate steps to protect your accounts.

For further helpful information on how to protect you and your family and friends, visit the following websites:

 

Action Fraud

Assists businesses, charities and organisations under a cyber attack, or data is potentially compromised. 

 

Age UK

Provides more information and advice on scams that typically target older people. 

 

CIFAS

A non-profit working to prevent fraud and financial crime using the UK's largest cross-sector fraud sharing databases. 

 

Financial Conduct Authority

The regulator of financial services in the UK. 

 

Get Safe Online

An awareness resource helping protect people and businesses from fraud, abuse and other issues encountered online.

 

Take Five to Stop Fraud 

Offers straight-forward and impartial advice to help people protect themselves against financial fraud.

Doorstep scammers tend to target older people, however, this isn’t to say younger people are immune. A doorstep scam is when someone knocks on your door to scam you out of money, or even to gain access to your home.

A doorstep scammer may not be pushy or threatening, as their goal is to gain your trust. For this reason, it’s important to be extra cautious when answering the door to a cold-caller. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ or feel pressured into handing over money or details. Also, never invite anyone into your home that you weren’t expecting.

 

Not sure what to look out for? Here we’ve outlined the most common scams used for doorstep fraud:

 

• Rogue traders: Cold-callers offering you a service you don’t need. They may claim to have noticed something about your property that needs work or improvement, such as the roof. Don’t feel afraid to say no in this situation - you can always arrange an inspection with a reputable tradesman if you have genuine concerns over the condition of your property. 
• Bogus officials: People claiming to be from your utility company as a way of gaining access to your home. Always check the ID of any official and call your utility company to check if you’re unsure - if they're genuine, they won't mind waiting while you check. 
• Fake charity collections: Fraudsters pretending to represent a charity asking you to donate money, clothes or household goods. Legitimate charities will all have a charity number that can be checked on the Charity Commission website. 
• Made-up consumer surveys: Some scammers ask you to complete a survey so they can get hold of your details, or use it as a cover for persuading you to buy something you don’t want or need. 
• Hard luck stories: Someone may come to your door and ask you to help them out with cash, ask to use your telephone or claim they're feeling unwell. The story is made up and intended to con you out of your money or gain access to your home.

How to deter this type of scam:

 

• Putting up a ‘no cold callers’ sign up on your door or window to deter any cold callers from knocking on your door.
• Set up a password with your utility companies to be used by anyone they send round to your home. Speak to your utility companies to find out how to do this.
• Find out if you have a nominated neighbour scheme, this is a system set up to prevent elderly and vulnerable residents from becoming victims of distraction burglary, bogus calls or rogue traders. You can find this out via your local council.

Fraudsters send scam emails and SMS-messages that promise tax rebates to trick people into disclosing their account details. These messages are usually sent when HMRC are processing tax rebates at the end of the tax year, making them appear credible. 

HMRC will only inform you about tax refunds through the post or via your employer. All emails, text messages, or voicemail messages saying you have a tax refund are a scam. Many of these fraudulent emails and texts include links which take the user to dubious websites where their information can be stolen.

 

If you haven’t paid the right amount at the end of the tax year, HMRC will post you a tax calculation. This can be a P800 or a Simple Assessment letter. If you have paid too much tax, the letter will explain how you can get your refund paid to you. If you have not paid enough tax, the letter will tell you how much you owe and how you can pay.

 

How to protect yourself: 

 

• Genuine organisations like banks and HMRC will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, password or bank details.
• Never give out private information, reply to text messages, download attachments or click on links in emails you weren’t expecting.
• Forward any suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and texts to 60599, or contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to report any suspicious calls or use its online fraud reporting tool.

This type of scam involves a fraudster overpaying you for genuine goods or services and requesting a refund.

If you’re a business, or even selling something of value privately (e.g. a car), a scammer will agree to buy from you and pay via cheque or credit card. However, they’ll pay you too much and ask for the difference to be refunded. After the refund is made, you’ll find either the cheque bounces or the credit card used was stolen. 

 

A newer version of this scam also involves the buyer sending a fake receipt from Paypal, claiming that the money is being held until the overpayment refund is made. 

 

How to protect yourself:

• Always use a trusted payment method that you’re familiar with, especially if you’re a private seller.
• If you receive a payment receipt claiming funds are being held, check with the company. It’s rare for a finance company to hold funds in this way. 
• If a payment has been made via credit card, only agree to refund the amount back onto that credit card. 
• Do not send any items onto the customer until the money has cleared in your account. 

 

Another version of this scam involves providing remote access to your computer. For example, a representative of a broadband or telecoms provider calls to let you know there’s an issue with your computer and they need remote access to fix it.

 

They’ll then inform you that you’re due compensation for the inconvenience and ask you to log into your online banking. Payment is transferred as promised, but they’ve paid you too much and need you to transfer the overpayment back to them. What’s actually happened is they’ve transferred money from your savings account to make it look like a refund has been credited to your current account.

 

How to protect yourself:

 

• Don't allow yourself to be rushed into allowing remote access. If the call is unexpected, politely hang up and call the company they claim to represent back via an advertised telephone number. 
• Be sure who you are dealing with - fraudsters may claim to be from a provider you have a genuine account with. 
• Never log on to your internet bank account while allowing someone remote access to your device.

A fraudster will contact you unexpectedly about an investment opportunity that guarantees to make you money. There’s usually a time limit or a bonus if you invest before a set date, so you’ll need to ‘act quickly’ or risk missing out. They may even promise high returns on your investment or rates higher than those available on the high street.

How to protect yourself:

 

The general rule of thumb here is that if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. There are no guarantees when it comes to investments, so the best defence is to politely end the call and block the number. 

Always check the Financial Conduct Authority's Scamsmart website, which offers a warning list so you can check the risks of a potential investment. You can also search to see if the company that has contacted you is known to be operating without authorisation.

Pension scams are serious. You could lose some, if not all, of your pension savings and end up with a large tax bill. 

Fraudsters will contact you out of the blue by phone, text or email with a ‘too good to be true’ opportunity designed to make you part with your pension. They’ll likely try to pressure you into making a quick decision and will only have a mobile number and PO box address as contact details. Some common tactics used by these scammers include:

 

• Claiming to know about loopholes that can help you get more than the usual 25% tax-free.
• Offering high returns investments.
• Offering a ‘loan’, ‘saving advance’ or ‘cashback’ from your pension.
• Suggesting you put all your money in a single investment (in most circumstances, a financial adviser will advise you to spread your money across different schemes).
• Sending paperwork to your door by courier requiring an immediate signature.
• Claiming they'll help you access your pension pot before the age of 55 (unless you’re seriously unwell or have a certain type of scheme, this isn’t legally possible).

 

Investing your pension safely:

 

If you’re considering investing your pension pot, talk to an adviser regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). There are several ways to find a reputable advisor and protect your pension:

• Find an independent financial adviser through Unbiased.co.uk.
• Check the FCA's register of firms, individuals or financial services.
• Check the FCA's list of unauthorised firms and individuals.
• Use the FCA's Warning List tool to check the risks associated with an investment opportunity.

Also known as ‘catfishing’, this is when scammers create fake social media and/or dating profiles to trick people out of money. This type of scammer will target those looking for love, using their vulnerabilities to create an emotional bond. It’s this bond that blinds victims to the red flags when the scammer starts asking for money. 

How to protect yourself: 

 

The biggest signs that you’re dealing with a catfish include avoiding face-to-face meetings and video chats, as well as asking for money early on - usually for the victim’s benefit such as money to visit you, get out of trouble or get medical help.

 

The most important thing to remember is to never send money to anyone you haven’t met in person, no matter how long you’ve been speaking with them. Should you choose to meet them, ensure your physical safety by meeting in a busy, public place and letting your friends and family know where you are.

This scam involves tricking people into helping fraudsters move around stolen money – you effectively become a 'money mule'. This scam has some variations:

• Targeting victims with what looks like a genuine job opportunity to earn some easy money for a few hours of work every week. 
• Students and young people are reportedly being increasingly targeted via social media (there are even hashtags set up to lure money mules, such as #PayPalFlip).
• A competition that requires you to send money to collect the prize. 
• An extension of the catfish scam, where an online love interest asks you to transfer money back to them, or even to act as the ‘middleman’ between payment transfers. 

 

In all cases getting involved could result in criminal prosecution, your account being frozen and your information shared with other banks as someone who cannot be trusted, which will make banking difficult for you.

 

How to protect yourself: 

 

• A genuine company will never ask you to use your bank account to transfer their money, so don’t accept any job that asks you to do this.
• Be especially wary of job offers from people or companies overseas - it’ll be harder for you to find out if they’re genuine.
• Never give your financial details to someone you don’t know and trust.
• Never send money to collect a prize, this is always a scam.  
• Never send money back to an online love interest who’s sent you money, as you’re likely moving stolen money for them.