At this time of year it pays to be extra vigilant when it comes to scams. So, we wanted to remind you of a few common scams to watch out for, to help you avoid falling victim.
Be scam aware and keep an eye out for these tactics used by criminals.
Shopping scams
With Black Friday and Christmas coming up, it’s boom time for shoppers – but sadly, it’s also boom time for scammers. Watch out for offers you see in your inbox, online and on social media marketplaces, promising offers that are too good to be true.
Stick to known and trusted retailers if you’re looking for a bargain, and if you doubt a deal that you’ve seen, look into it further to make sure it’s not bogus. For example, visit genuine retail sites to look for an item if you see it on offer at a suspiciously low price. A fake bargain could see you lose money or your financial information.
Parcel delivery scams
Also linked to the retail boom at this time of year, watch our for post and parcel scams. These usually involve you being contacted and told that you’ve missed a delivery you might receive a text message telling you this, for example.
This scam is effective at this time of year when we might be expecting multiple parcels that are hard to keep track of, so a ‘missed parcel’ message is something we’re likely to pursue.
You’ll be told that in order to retrieve your parcel, you’ll need to click on a link and pay any excess postage. However, fraudulent links can take you to sites that capture your financial information and hand it over to criminals.
Parking scams
This is an increasingly common type of scam, which uses two main methods. The first is that you could receive a text telling you that you’ve broken parking rules and need to pay a fine.
Included in the message will be a link that takes you to a phishing site aimed at capturing your personal or financial information, or a phone number which will often be an expensive premium-rate number that you’ll run up a big bill by calling.
The other common parking scam right now is 'QR jacking'. This is where scammers put a sticker on or near a parking machine, featuring a QR code. It’s aimed at taking people to a website which they think is a legitimate payment method, but is in fact a phishing site that can capture your financial details.
In general, avoid clicking on links that you receive in text messages or emails, and also avoid calling numbers that you’re unfamiliar with. If an organisation is legitimately contacting you, their contact details can be found online and you can reach them that way.
If you do receive a suspicious message, check out our tips on what to do.