NALC (Norfolk Association of Local Councils) has collected a number of warnings together about scams current in our area.
Fraudsters exploit easyJet customers affected by cancellations
Customers affected by easyJet’s latest flight cancellations are being bombarded on Twitter by fake customer service accounts. Although some of the accounts have been shut down, we found five that are still active.
Some of these accounts included dodgy links to an ‘online help hub’ in their bio. These lead to phishing websites where scammers try to obtain your personal information.
If you’ve been affected by easyJet’s cancellations, see examples of the easyJet scams currently circulating.
Taylor Swift ticket scams
Taylor Swift’s 2024 UK tour is on sale, and scammers will be looking to take advantage of fans who miss out on tickets.
If you don’t get tickets in the general sale, you may be tempted to turn to resellers. However, fraudsters can create fake websites and images to deceive buyers into thinking they’re purchasing legitimate tickets.
Did you know that in 2022, £6.7m was lost to ticket fraud? Be cautious of potential ticket scams when purchasing event tickets online. Here are some tips for buying tickets safely.
Beware of fake Microsoft ‘spyware’ pop-ups on your computer
Scammers are impersonating Microsoft in pop-ups warning your computer is infected with spyware.
These pop-ups appear suddenly on your screen. They claim that your device has a virus and that your personal and financial data is at risk, before asking you to call a phone number for support.
Read the stories about victims targeted by this scam and get advice on what to do if you’re targeted by dodgy pop-ups.
Scammers impersonate your friends for gift cards
The latest wave of gift card scams involve fraudsters impersonating one of your email contacts and asking you to buy a gift card for them as a favour.
This scam begins with a fraudster sending a bogus email posing as someone in your contacts list. They then request gift cards for retailers such as Amazon, claiming that they need help purchasing the cards for a sick family member.
As the message appears to come from someone you know, you might think it’s real and agree to buy the cards. However, it’s important to be careful and double-check any unusual requests, even if they appear to be genuine at first glance.
Discover how fake gift card messages are written and how to keep yourself safe.
Scam Alert – Fake parcel delivery emails and text messages – July 2023
We are again warning residents about scam emails and text messages making claims about parcel deliveries. The messages will often state they are ‘shipping notices’, ‘package delivery notices’ ‘delivery status updates’ or ‘unable to deliver your parcel’.
This follows a recent report from a Norfolk resident who received a message claiming to be from EVRI which claimed a delivery could not be made and that the recipient needed to click on a link to ‘arrange redelivery’. When the link was followed the site attempted to charge a £1.25 fee.
These scam messages are sent by criminals who have created fake websites to look similar to the genuine websites, with the same branding, layout and font choices that attempts to gain personal or financial information.
Awareness Training
BSL Scam aware TikTok videos
The Citizens Advice financial capability and consumer education team is delighted to share the BSL videos produced by students from Hamilton Lodge School and College for deaf students as part of Scams Awareness week which took place in early July. The videos are available on TikTok and are:
Bogus seller online Bogus Seller
Bank scam email Bank Scam
Misleading selling techniques Misleading Selling
Stop Loan Sharks
Please find links to free training sessions in July & August 2023 below:
Introductory Training ‘How to spot a loan shark’
eventbrite.com/cc/illegal-money-lending-introductory-training-1478579
Follow on Training (Introductory training should be completed first)
eventbrite.com/cc/illegal-money-lending-follow-on-training-1481489
Report It
If you receive an email you are suspicious about, or think is a scam you can report it to the National Cyber Security Centre by forwarding the message to report@phishing.gov.uk
Suspicious or scam text messages can be reported by forwarding the message to 7726. More information on this free reporting service and how to forward messages from your device is available on the Ofcom website
If you think you have interacted with a scam message and provided scammers with your financial details you should contact your bank immediately.
You can also report all scam messages to us via our partners the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on freephone 0808 223 1133
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