How close are the scammers?

Protect yourself from scammers

We read in the press of scammers cheating people out of life savings and may think that it will never happen to us.

West Mercia Police kindly gave T A Matthews a presentation as to how to protect ourselves from scammers.

After the presentation some of the staff were asked what they learnt and these are some of the responses:

“I learnt that there are machines that can read contactless credit and debit cards even if they are in your purse.  A protective card is available to prevent this.  The card costs very little and could prevent your account being emptied.”

“I receive cold calls in connection with matters such as a tax refund, an accident claim, and my broadband connection is about to be stopped due to unexpected use.  If the call is unexpected and urgent it is probably a scam.  Just put the phone down.”

“There are call centres contacting phone numbers generated by a computer.  The computer dials a number and it is only then a call handler is connected.  There will usually be a delay or a click on the line.  If this is the case put the phone down.”

“We were told to take care with and know what information is put into the public domain such as websites, LinkedIn, Facebook etc.  This information can be used by scammers to gain our trust to persuade us to part with sensitive financial information.”

These were just a few examples of the information we received from West Mercia Police.

What is clear is that the threat is very real, it changes and we need to be vigilant at all times.

Get safe online http://www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk

Report fraud http://www.actionfraud.police.uk

This blog published by T A Matthews is for information purposes only and is not considered legal advice on any subject matter.  The blog should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a solicitor, and readers should consult their own solicitor on any specific legal questions concerning a specific situation.