Column by Councillor Andrew Reid, Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Public Health and Public Protection
Christmas is round the corner and the coming days are undoubtedly going to be busy ones in our shops and online as people buy presents for loved ones and stock up on festive supplies.
So much of our shopping is now done via technology and sadly there are all too many people out there ready and able to use it to take advantage of others.
These scammers and fraudsters think nothing of the pain and distress they cause their victims and a good rule to have in the back of your mind is ‘If it looks too good to be true then it probably is’.
To help, Suffolk Trading Standards has issued a list of scams to be aware of around this time of year.
The scams are:
- Scam delivery texts and emails – You may get an email or text message saying your package has been delayed and it asks you to click on a link to track its status. This leads you to a phishing site that steals your personal information.Malicious texts are where someone clicks on a link and provides information, they may then get a phone call from someone claiming to be from their bank who offers to help safeguard funds by trying to convince them to transfer money into a bogus 'safe account'. Forward any suspicious text messages to 7726 and send scam emails to [email protected]
- Fake and copy-cat websites - The holiday season brings endless emails offering deals, sales and bargains. Some lead to lookalike websites that trick people into downloading malware, making non-existent purchases, and sharing private information.Authenticate a website by checking the address is spelled correctly. Ideally, type it in rather than clicking on a link, or go to getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite
- Bogus charities - Only donate to trusted, well-known charities. Before giving, check the charity’s name and registration number, which can be verified at the Charity Commission’s website at charitycommission.gov.uk
- Gift Card scams - Fraudsters impersonate one of your email contacts to ask you to buy a gift card for them as a favour. They will typically say they need help to buy it as a present as they are too ill, too busy or have an issue with their payment card. The scammer then asks you to share the serial numbers of gift cards to steal the value purchased.If you receive an email asking for personal information or any form of financial help, call that friend or family member on a trusted number and let them know their account may have been hacked.
- Fake social media contests, giveaways and bogus sellers - Social media platforms arefull of bargains but are also where scammers lie in wait with too-good-to-be true offers. Fraudsters set up fake pages with offers to catch your eye and encourage you to share. These are designed to "pharm" any personal information that you have publicly available on your own profile. Search for the official page to see if an offer or giveaway is legitimate.
Trading Standards advise that anyone losing money to fraud should contact their bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 20 40 or at www.actionfraud.police.uk
Of course, this is also the time of year when all those presents and festive food and treats result in a lot of waste!
The Suffolk Recycles website is packed with information on what to do and where to take all that rubbish to be recycle and properly disposed of, particularly rubbish that we only see at this time of year such as Christmas trees, wreaths, and old fairy lights.
Go to www.suffolkrecycles.org.uk and www.suffolkrecycling.org.uk/reduce-reuse/christmas for all the details, and may I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.
Suffolk Trading Standards can be contacted via the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.
