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CURRENT SCAMS AND OTHER INFORMATION – MARCH 2026 |
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Consumer scam alerts - Norfolk County Council This website gives information on numerous scams that are currently circulating and on rogue traders.
Public Protection Partnership Press Release attached regarding a trader selling unsafe toys.
What to do if your phone gets stolen - Which?
Just a reminder that criminals are now targeting gift cards before they are even sold. By tampering with cards on display in shops, scammers download the barcode and wait for someone to buy and activate it. Once activated, the money is swiftly drained by the scammer, leaving the recipient with a worthless card. The latest available data shows 6,229 reports of this scam in the UK and victims have lost almost £13.5m. This method is particularly sneaky because victims often don’t realise they have been scammed until they try to use the card. Retailers may be unaware of the tampering, and refunds can be difficult to obtain.
How to protect yourself:
If you suspect fraud, report it to the retailer that you purchased the gift card from and to report via Report Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040.
National Trading Standards (NTS) is warning residents about a disturbing new type of fraud in which criminals use artificial intelligence to clone people’s voices and set up unauthorised direct debits.
This sophisticated scam often begins with a seemingly harmless 'lifestyle survey' phone call. In reality, these calls are designed to gather detailed personal, health and financial information. Criminals then use this data to create AI‑generated voice clones capable of imitating victims and providing false 'consent' to legitimate businesses and financial providers. The details are often passed between criminal groups, enabling them to set up payments without the victim’s knowledge. Recent data highlights the scale of the problem. On average, UK adults receive seven scam calls or texts each month, with one in five people experiencing them most days. Through Operation Derdap, NTS has blocked nearly 21 million scam phone calls and closed 2,000 numbers in just six months.
Residents are urged to stay vigilant. Speak to friends and relatives about scam calls, check bank statements regularly, and report anything suspicious immediately. Staying informed is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others. Impersonation fraud happens when someone pretends to be from a trusted organisation, your boss, a family member or even a government department to trick you into sharing personal information, handing over money, or granting access to your devices.
The Public Protection Partnership in another area had previously been advised that a treasurer of a local sports club received a fake email from the chairman asking them to pay a new vendor. Scammers often create a sense of urgency. These messages can arrive by phone, text, email, or even via social media. Some schemes now involve 'spoofing', where fraudsters fake official phone numbers or email addresses to make their contact look genuine.
Residents are reminded to pause and think before responding. Never share banking details or passwords, and don’t transfer money following an unexpected request. If you’re unsure, hang up, don’t click on any links and contact the organisation or requester, if they are known to you, directly using a verified number.
You can report cybercrime or fraud to Report Fraud using their online fraud reporting tool or by calling 0300 123 2040.
To help fight financial crime, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched Firm Checker, a tool to help consumers avoid scams.
Research from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) shows that around 800,000 people reported losing money to investment or pensions‑related scams between May 2023 and May 2024. Scammers often make initial contact through social media posts or adverts, or unsolicited phone calls. Others reach out via text, WhatsApp or other messaging services, making it harder for people to know whether a firm is genuine or not. By using the tool and checking if a firm is authorised and has the correct permissions to provide services, the regulator hopes people can significantly reduce their chances of falling victim to fraud.
Report Fraud received 12,093 reports of dating scams in the past 13 months, with losses totalling £119.6m. A dating scam, or romance fraud, typically occurs when you enter into an online relationship with a fraudster posing as an imaginary person. After grooming you over a period of days, weeks or months, the fraudster will begin to ask for money for completely fictional reasons, and ask for more and more over time. The National Crime Agency estimates that only 14% of fraud cases are reported. But given the emotional impact of romance fraud, it's unlikely that the Report Fraud database gives a true picture of the volume of cases and total losses that occurred last year.
How to spot a WhatsApp scam Messages promoting a sham service called 'WhatsApp Gold' are recirculating. This scam claims to offer special features to users that can be unlocked by clicking a link – instead the link leads to malware being downloaded onto your device.
Post from a resident online: “Last year, a resident used Booking.com to book a villa in Malta. The owner asked me to pay €1,000 (around £860) via international bank transfer. There was no option to pay by card on the Booking.com platform, which have previously done when booking hotel rooms on the site. Before I could travel, Booking.com contacted me to say it had cancelled my booking because the villa was no longer available (the villa owner had removed it from its site). Booking.com told me not to worry about what I had paid, as it would reimburse me. I have now spent seven months trying to get the refund. Booking.com has accepted that the booking was fraudulent and keeps insisting it is doing all it can to assist me, but then refuses all of the documents that I’ve provided from my bank as proof of payment to the villa owner.”
A local resident informed me that she received a scam from Microsoft saying email shutdown in progress and one advising a reward from Boots if complete a survey.
If you do not have a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your road and can set one up for me please, I can forward you more details. A scheme can be anything from 5 properties upwards and the main role of a Coordinator is to circulate the Alerts on crimes and scams to your neighbours either via email or posting on a WhatsApp or Facebook Group for your area. You will receive free signs, stickers, leaflets and discounts for your neighbours.
Angela Money BEM Area Representative - West Berkshire Neighbourhood Watch
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