Stay Safe Online – Energy scams and bank scams – be scam-aware
Energy scams
Which? Warn that they have received reports of phone calls to households, pretending to be from the council and asking for card details to make a £150 energy rebate payment. They also report that scammers impersonate Ofgem through emails, texts and websites asking people to enter their banking details to qualify for fake energy refunds. The latest scam focuses on the Government’s new energy grants – it’s a text that asks you to click a link to sign up for the grant. The Government are not sending text messages as the grant will be applied to your energy account automatically. 
This text comes from various phone numbers – you can check phone numbers on the website ‘who called me’ which will tell you if a number has been reported as suspicious. Make sure you don’t click on any links in messages like these. Instead forward the message to 7726 to report the scam and then block the phone number.
Santander scam
Watch out for fake emails saying that your account has been suspended – I knew this was a fake because I don’t have a Santander account – but the email address <jp> was also a clue!
Be scam–aware:
Were you expecting a call from this company? If not hang up, check for the correct number on their website – and ring them back.
Are you being asked for personal details? Don’t give out any personal informal information or bank details unless you are sure you are talking to the real company.
Watch out for premium rate phone numbers beginning with ‘09’ which can cost you up to £3.60 per minute.
Is the offer too good to be true? Then it very probably is a scam.
Are you being pressurised to make a decision now? Legitimate companies will always give you time to discuss the proposition with other people and think it over.
Are there spelling and grammatical errors in the message or email? Professional companies write professional emails that are checked – poor English is a sure sign of a scam.
Beware – fraudsters are getting very good at impersonating big companies – using their logos to make emails look real.
If you have been affected by a scam – help is out there – Victim Support has a free confidential helpline 0808 168 9111 and so does Mind 0300 123 3393.
Sign up for Which? Scam alerts: https://campaigns.which.co.uk/scam-alert-service/ Find details of recent scams here: www.actionfraud.police.uk and on our Facebook page: Rainford-it-stay safe online and on our blog on our website.
Rainford-IT are Mac specialists – got a problem – give us a ring – advice is free.
Published in the November edition of the Whitchurch Gossip
