If the caller has called in relation to a banking/insurance product or facility that you have no knowledge of, hang up the phone and call the company back on a genuine number found on their website.
Unfortunately, fraudsters will use of any and all tools available to get their hands on something that’s not theirs. Advancing technology also means there are more weak points to take advantage of than ever before.
Staying armed with the facts about the latest scams and fraud is the best way to keep yourself and your finances safe from unwanted attention.
What to watch out for – the basics
Scammers often pretend to work for large, well recognised and respected companies. Whether this be banks, insurance companies, technology companies or charities. It’s very rare that your bank will call you and ask for your details over the phone.Here we’ve outlined several things you can look out for to help you spot scammers:
Avoid clicking on any links contained within messages you’re suspicious of. In recent years, scammers have started sending text messages often stating you have charges to pay on a parcel, or provide you with a link to track a parcel you’re not expecting. Most legitimate couriers will email you as well as sending a text message if you have an expected parcel arriving.
In today’s world, scammers will more commonly send out mass emails hoping a few people will read into them. These emails are often sent from made-up email addresses. For example, Hodge colleagues will always email you on an email address ending in @Hodge.co.uk and never Hotmail or Gmail. Emails from scammers will usually be poorly worded with multiple punctuation and spelling mistakes.