Scam alert
Alert: Public to be on guard against new ‘ransomware’ scam
A new ransomware scam has been uncovered that uses the branding of Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) to dupe people into paying to have their computer unlocked.
For more information please visit Action Fraud .
'Misleading' supermarket special offers dupe shoppers, Which? finds
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/may/24/supermarket-special-offers-duping-shoppers
An investigation into thousands of individual supermarket prices has revealed widespread "misleading" pricing tactics which are duping shoppers into believing they are getting a better deal than they are.
In its largest look at special offers, researchers from the consumer group Which? trawled through more than 700,000 supermarket prices over the course of a year looking at both discounts and multibuys. They found dubious offers that affect everything from pet food and fresh fruit to toiletries and wine.
Using data from independent grocery shopping websiteMySupermarket.co.uk from 31 January 2011 to 1 February 2012, the researchers identified four main tactics designed to make bargains look unmissable.
Firstly, products which become more expensive than the original price per item when they go into a multibuy offer. They cited an example in which Asda doubled the price of a single Müller yogurt from 30p to 61p as they went on to multibuy at 10 for £4. The price went back to 30p when the offer ended.
Secondly, Which? singled out products being sold on "offer" when in fact they had been on sale at the reduced price for longer than the original price. For example, Tesco sold Beck's beer for 190 days on discount and only 70 days at the higher price.
Thirdly, it identified prices being increased immediately before going on "offer" making the discount appear more significant. For example, Ocadostrawberries increased from £3.89 to £4.38 for 13 days. They were then sold as "was £4.38 now £2.19/£2.29/£2.25" for 112 days, although there were nine days within this period when they were sold at £4.38.
Finally, Which? discovered products that were not sold at what was claimed to be a "higher" price immediately before going on offer. For instance, Aquafresh Milk Teeth Toothpaste was labelled as "was £1.74, now £1.15" at Asda. The highest price it was sold at before the offer was £1.17.
Which? is urging the government to tighten up its rules on pricing to give more protection to consumers. While the existing rules are supposed to make sure that supermarket special offers do not mislead shoppers, it feels they leave too many loopholes. Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which?, said: "It's unacceptable that shoppers are confused into thinking they're getting a good deal when that might not be the case.
"Consumers should not have to worry about whether a special offer is really 'special', so we want the supermarkets to play fair and the government to tighten up pricing guidelines so that people can shop with confidence."
But the stores claimed that the pricing anomalies were simply mistakes.
Tesco said in a statement: "We change millions of price labels in store and online each week and we sometimes make mistakes, for which we apologise. We make every effort to ensure we act in accordance with government guidelines on price promotions."
Asda said: "We are only human, and occasionally we make mistakes. By and large our systems and procedures ensure those instances are kept to an absolute minimum, but when we do get it wrong, we put our hands up to say sorry, and put things right as quickly as possible."
An Ocado spokesman described the example highlighted by Which? as an "isolated occasion".
Guardian Money has also been highlighting deals that are not as good as they claim to be and asking readers to send in the most amusing examples of silly pricing.
Credit Card Courier Scam
SOURCE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/may/23/credit-card-users-phone-call-courier-scam
Fraudsters are targeting credit card users with a sophisticated scam which dupes people into handing over their credit cards and pin numbers, the Payments Council has warned.
The scam involves a fraudster calling a cardholder, claiming to be from their bank and telling them that their debit or credit card needs replacing and collecting following a fraud on their account.
The fraudster suggests the victim hangs up in order to call the bank back and ensure the call is genuine. However, the fraudster stays on the line, keeping it open. They then play a recording of a dial tone so that when the victim picks up their handset again they think they are really calling their bank.
The criminal then asks the person to read out or key in his or her pin number, before sending a courier to collect the card. The victim is told the card is going to the bank to be changed, but it is actually delivered to the fraudster to use along with the pin obtained during the scam.
To make sure they maximise the amount they can steal from the victim's account, the fraudsters advise the victim to disconnect their telephone line. This prevents the card-issuing bank from being able to contact the cardholder to check transactions are genuine.
Fiona Keen, a former police civilian worker, had £15,000 stolen from her credit card and current accounts on 4 January. "I got a call from a panicky sounding man in the evening saying he believed my Barclaycard had been used for a 'Section 24' fraud, and that to prove I hadn't used the card he needed to send a courier round to collect it. I balked at first, but he reassured me, asking me to call the customer service number on the back of my Barclaycard. I got straight through and was referred to the fraud department, so I thought it must be OK."
The fraudsters kept Keen on the phone for two hours until a man in a taxi arrived to take six of her cards, including the debit card for her current account. They also persuaded her read out her pin and to disconnect her landline and broadband for two days so they could "wire the money stolen" from her account back to her.
"The fraudsters used my cards to buy computers and phones at what seems like every branch of Argos in London," Keen said. "They also spent hundreds of pounds on food and drink, and made cash withdrawals."
Fraud losses on credit and debit cards fell to £341m in 2011 – a 10-year low – and while the money lost through this scam is still small at £1.5m, the Payments Council is concerned at the speed with which it is increasing: £750,000 was stolen in the first four months of 2012: the same amount as the whole of 2011. It added that cardholders should never hand over their cards or reveal their pin numbers to other people, even if they claim to be from a bank or the police.
DCI Paul Barnard, head of the bank-sponsored Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit – the specialist police unit that tackles UK card and cheque fraud – said: "Many of us feel confident we can spot fraudsters, but this type of crime can be sophisticated and could happen to anyone.
"If you become a victim of this type of crime, you should contact your bank in the first instance. If you have friends or relatives who you feel may be vulnerable to this, please help them to be more aware of the potential risks and what to look out for. Remember, if you are the innocent victim of card fraud you will not suffer any financial loss."
Just who are you donating to?
Claimants of tax credits are being warned of scam emails
A warning has been issued by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) about fake or “phishing” emails sent out by fraudsters
Customers have to renew their claims by 31 July - or their payments may be stopped.In the run-up to the tax credits renewal deadline often sees an increase in such attacks, and in May 2011 a record 26,301 phishing attempts were reported to HMRC.
The scam email usually starts with the sentence such as “we have reviewed your tax return and our calculations of your last years accounts show a tax refund of XXXX is due”.
The phishing emails often promise a rebate and, if taxpayers click on the link, they are taken to a cloned replica of the HMRC website. The recipient is asked to provide credit or debit card details or other sensitive information such as passwords. Fraudsters then try to take money from the account.
Identity theft
Victims risk having money stolen from their bank accounts, or their personal details being sold on to criminal gangs for identify fraud.
During last year’s tax credits renewals period, from April to July, nearly 94,000 phishing emails were reported by customers. Even though HMRC helped shut down more than 360 scam websites during the period, others continue to be created.
Steve Lamey, Director General for Benefits and Credits, said:
“We only ever contact customers who are due a tax refund in writing by post. We don’t use telephone calls, emails or external companies in these circumstances. Anyone who receives an email claiming to be from HMRC should send it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk before deleting it permanently.”
HMRC works with other law enforcement agencies in the UK and overseas to investigate and shut down phishing attacks. Scam networks have been closed in a number of countries, including Austria, Mexico, the UK, South Korea, the USA, Thailand and Japan.
HMRC advises customers to:
- Check the advice published on the HMRC website see if an email received is listed.
- Forward suspicious emails to HMRC at phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk and then delete them.
- Do not click on websites or links contained in suspicious emails, nor to open attachments.
- Follow advice from Get Safe Online.
- If people believe that they have been the victim of an email scam, they should report the matter to their bank/ card issuer as soon as possible. Anyone in doubt should check with the HMRC fraud attempts page.
Please note that Action Fraud is not responsible for the content of external websites.
To report a fraud, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.
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