Latest Scams Circulating
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Latest Scams Circulating |
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Good Evening,
We would like to make you aware of a number of scams that have been brought to the attention of South Wales Police and the ways in which to protect yourselves and others. The three latest scams are listed and described below.
SCAM 1
We are aware, from comments posted on a Nation Cyber / Fraud Protect group, that victims are receiving telephone calls from 'spoofed' numbers. The 'Spoofed' would appear to be coming from Police forces across the country. We are not aware of any calls being spoofed using the telephone number for SWP but it could be a trend that we may become aware of very soon. ‘Spoofing means disguising the true source of a communication—such as an email, phone call, website, or IP address—to impersonate a trusted entity and deceive the target.’
SCAM 2
There has been reports for unknown persons placing fake QR stickers at Cardiff based carparks on pay and display machines in the last few days. These may either be QR Stickers placed on the top of already existing QR codes or they may place them near the payment machines.
The criminals are not stupid and the landing pages WILL look quite real. The recent report was a RingGo based carpark, who don't actually use QR codes but the criminals have placed them on company signs. We are aware they will target all companies and just send victims to landing pages that look realistic.
Stay safe by following this advice from RingGo: Download the RingGo app directly from the App Store or Google Play Never scan a QR code if you are paying to park with the RingGo app Do not share bank or payment details via links accessed through QR codes Avoid scanning QR codes from emails, SMS messages or unknown sources Report any suspicious QR codes to the council or private car park provider operating in the area Be careful when registering card details outside of the RingGo app Do not pay anyone who approaches you in a car park
SCAM 3
Be careful where you buy from, shoppers are being warned as criminals use AI to supercharge scams. Some fraudsters have made websites for fake retailers that claim to be family-owned firms selling quality UK-made products. Images may show a UK High Street with Union Jack flags in shot. If you order you're likely to find a product either never arrives, or is a cheap product. AI-generated images, as well as voice cloning and deepfake videos are increasingly being used to trick people out of their money, according to National Trading Standards.
What are the tricks to look out for? Tricks include: Cloned or new websites that look polished and professional in rapid time and at a low cost Romance scams in which AI is used to remember victims' personal details and keep conversations going over weeks or months AI-generated deepfake videos and voice-cloned audio is used to impersonate family members or close friends asking for money in an "emergency" Personalised phishing emails, text messages and social media posts can be generated by AI on a huge scale. How can I protect myself? Some of the old scam-avoidance techniques may now be less successful due to the benefits of AI. Typos or grammatical errors can no longer be relied on to spot scams.
Some of the ways to protect yourself, according to trading standards, include: Never sending money, gift cards or personal or financial information to someone you have not met in person Doing your research - such as checking whether a shop's address is real, using the Financial Conduct Authority's Firm Checker, external, to ensure a company is authorised to give financial advice, and contacting a business directly to check whether a job advert is real Not assuming someone is genuine just because you've heard their voice or seen them on a video call In general, they say stop and think before paying, sharing personal information or taking action. You should be especially wary of pressure or urgency because criminals want you to act before you have time to think. Fraud and scams can be reported to Report Fraud, external or by calling on 0300 1232040, or you can call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 for advice.
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