Latest scams to watch out for with WhatsApp calls and texts from fake Southern Water, BT and Argos numbers
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Scam phone calls, texts and online adverts have been on the rise with the public warned to stay vigilant about them.
The public are being targeted on their phones and while browsing through websites by criminals. These calls are made through WhatsApp and landline numbers, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said on its alerts website.
Trading Standards has issued a list of recent fraudulent activities which has been reported to them.
Fake WhatsApp giveaways
One of these scams involves a Whatsapp message offering a Cadbury hamper giveaway. The text encourages you to complete a short quiz for “a hamper of Christmas Chocs”, and contains a link.
Trading Standards said this is a scam which is designed to “steal your information, leading to you being plagued with scam messages and calls in the future”. “DON’T click on the link and let whoever sent it to you know that this is a scam,” they added.
Deceptive online adverts
Trading Standards has received reports of online adverts selling fake merchandise and being purported to be sold by famous faces and brands. They said: “We have spotted adverts claiming to be supported by celebrities or the items being sold in major stores like Boots, even being endorsed by WHICH.
“DON’T click on these adverts. If you are interested in the product so some research online and make informed decisions.”
Phishing emails
A recent email scam involves accounts claiming to be from the DVLA saying that your vehicle tax needs to be renewed. Trading Standards said not to click on any links as it could contain viruses.
Argos Text Scam
Trading Standards said they have received a report of a text message purporting to be from Argos advising you to click on a link regarding a high value payment to them, which gives you a number to call if it isn’t you.
“Don’t call this number, this will be a protracted attempt to refund you the payment but will ultimately result in you losing money to scammers,” they added.
Fake phone calls
As well as fraudulent online activities, Trading Standards said they continue to receive information about scam calls. “We have also had reports of phone calls received claiming to be from Council Tax, Southern Water, BT and the HMRC all stating that you owe money or you need to call them to resolve an issue,” they added.
“These will all be scams. Don’t respond to these, hang up and block the number. These organisations wont call you out of the blue and if you are concerned, find their number independently and call them on that to clarify.”
The public are encouraged to sign up to the Hampshire Alerts website to receive weekly updates on the latest scams and fraud activities. Trading Standards holds a list of approved businesses for shoppers on its website.
“Be extremely cautious of online recommendations (check reviews on other sites too), cards through doors, and in particular, people knocking your door offering to do work which initially appears good value but quickly escalates,” they said in a recent Facebook update.
“If you realise you’ve been scammed and wish to report a fraud that has already happened, please report it to Report Fraud either by phone 0300 123 2040 or online.”