#ActionFraud | 🎄The 12 Frauds of Christmas

Fraudsters work all year round, but figures suggest that even more money is taken from more victims at this time of year.
Action Fraud has compiled a list of the most common frauds of Christmas.

1. Phishing
2. Pet fraud
3. Online shopping fraud
4. Social media and email account hacking
5. Courier fraud
6. Romance fraud
7. Gift card fraud
8. Charity fraud
9. Investment fraud
10. QR code fraud
11. Holiday fraud
12. Ticket fraud

For more details of these crimes please visit the action fraud website; Make sure you have a #FraudFreeXmas: Action Fraud reveal 12 fraud types to look out for this Christmas | Action Fraud
What can you do to protect yourself from fraud this Christmas?

- Protect your online accounts: the password you use for your email account should be different from all your other passwords for online accounts. Use three random words to create a strong and memorable password, and enable 2-step verification (2SV).
- Do your research: make sure you do a thorough online search before making any big financial decisions. Check the authenticity of the company or organisation before making any investment, donation to charity or booking tickets for a concert, event or holiday.
- Be cautious about how you send money: avoid paying via bank transfer and don’t be pressured into transferring large sums of money. Any trusted organisation will not force you to transfer money on the spot and only a fraudster will try to rush you. For making purchases online, use a credit card if you can.
- Be wary of unsolicited emails, texts, QR codes or contact on social media: from seeing unbelievably good deals on tickets or holidays, to seeing a suspiciously cheap prices on items advertised, always double check the authenticity of what you are going to buy online before making a purchase or paying upfront fees.
- Report suspicious emails by forwarding them to: report@phishing.gov.uk
- Report suspicious text messages or spam calls free of charge to 7726

If you’ve lost money or provided your financial information to someone, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at https://orlo.uk/cjWsJ or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

#12Frauds