Here's your monthly fraud newsletter! Read this edition on a recent heatwave related scam, driving lesson scams and upcoming online safety webinars and fraud prevention talks!

Fake air conditioning units / cooling fans

With temperatures rising, fraudsters are targeting people searching for affordable air conditioners and cooling devices online. Criminals are advertising heavily discounted products through social media and fake websites, only for victims to receive poor-quality items, products that don't work as advertised, or nothing at all.

Surrey Police and Sussex Police have seen a recent spate of fraud reports regarding the purchase of fans and portable air-conditioning units. Products are being advertised and priced much cheaper than those sold by established and trusted retailers, however, when received are cheap imitations of those shown in the ads. 

One victim was browsing Facebook when he came across a video advertising a cooling fan developed by NASA scientists and claiming to be able to cool a room in 10 minutes. In the midst of a heatwave, the victim purchased the fan for £69. When he received the fan, he found that the claims made in the advert were false and the product he had purchased was a cheaply made replica. Despite complaining to the company, he did not receive any response or refund. 

Other examples, saw two victims losing nearly £250 each to similar scams, where air-con units never arrived. In these cases, the products were advertised on TikTok, with a website on Google. Upfront payments were made via PayPal and bank card, and once they had not received the air-con units multiple attempts to contact the company were unsuccessful.

How to protect yourself

Driving Lessons

As the cost of learning to drive continues to rise, fraudsters are increasingly targeting learner drivers with attractive offers, discounted lesson packages and professional-looking websites designed to appear legitimate.

Surrey Police and Sussex Police have seen a number of recent fraud reports regarding fake driving lessons. One of these reports was from a 21-year-old who reported finding a website advertising a bulk package, offering a 25-hour course with two one-hour lessons per week. After contacting the company to arrange the booking, she was sent a payment link and transferred £792 for the lessons. It was later discovered that the driving lesson package was not genuine, resulting in a significant financial loss.

How to spot the warning signs

When booking driving lessons online, look out for the following red flags:

How to protect yourself

Before booking driving lessons:

Trust your instincts – if something doesn't feel right, stop and carry out further checks.

Keeping communities safe from fraud

Brush up on your knowledge and stay safe online with FREE webinars and in person sessions delivered by subject experts from WSCC. Sessions include talks at local libraries on scams, navigating the digital world for parents or you can even learn more about artificial intelligence. If you are interested in booking on any of their free webinars, you can book tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/digital-safety-fraud-prevention-4037633?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

Please check out the website for talks targeted at Parents and Carers in keeping young people safe online: https://southeastcyber.police.uk/webinars/list/

Surrey Police and Partners will be in attendance at the below locations to talk around fraud prevention and reporting methods.