13th August 2010
A recruitment website is urging job seekers to keep safe from fraudsters while looking for employment online.
Fraudsters can advertise bogus jobs on genuine recruitment websites, or set up fake recruitment websites, sometimes made to look like a genuine recruitment website or brand.
Totaljobs.com has put together some advice to help keep job seekers safe online:
12th August 2010
Taxpayers are being urged to be vigilant following reports that thieves are making phone calls pretending to be the taxman.
The fraudsters tell victims that they are due a tax rebate, and ask for their bank card details over the phone. They go on to attempt to take money from the victim’s bank account.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) says that victims risk have their bank accounts emptied and their personal details sold on to other organised criminal gangs.
Tax phishing emails
11th August 2010
Action Fraud is urging people to be aware of a new type of fraud targeting people who may have taken out loans.
The fraudsters – often from a company with a similar name to an existing loan company – are sending out letters claiming the recipient has missed a repayment deadline and now owe the original debt plus more money.
This is a serious crime targeting areas where a number of people are already in debt. Victims have sent the requested money to the fraudsters and then found they still owe the original company.
11th August 2010
A rogue application that is spreading virally across Facebook can access affected users’ profiles, their list of friends and can re-post the bogus message as a status update and wall post.
Sophos is warning Facebook users about the scam, which automatically posts status updates on affected users’ profiles with the message: “OMG, this is the biggest and scariest snake I have ever seen, check out this video [LINK REMOVED]”.
10th August 2010
People are being warned about bogus callers who are saying they are calling on behalf of a hospice and asking for donations over the phone.
These calls are fraudulent. The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Surrey is reassuring the public that they would never ask directly for donations over the phone or for personal credit card details to be given over an unsolicited phone call.
Don’t give out personal details online
10th August 2010
A romance scam victim has waived her anonymity to raise awareness of this latest fraud wave in conjunction with Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre.
Ms Brenda Parke, a 60 year old retiree, was scammed out of £60,000 during February and March this year after joining an online dating site and befriending a man calling himself Bradford Cole. Over the following weeks they developed a close relationship via e-mails and phone calls.
9th August 2010
Police are asking members of the public to be aware of an internet-based employment scam that offers employment through Scandinavian companies.
Fraudsters contact victims by email pretending to be from a company that is looking for representatives in ‘your’ area to carry out online work. The job offer promises monthly wages and an attractive commission.
How does the Scandinavian employment scam work?
9th August 2010
Action Fraud is reminding everyone that fraudsters send hundreds of phishing emails every day, trying to trick people into handing over their personal information.
Phishing emails pretend to be from a genuine company and usually claim that it is necessary for a customer to ‘update’ or ‘verify’ their customer account information. They often ask customers to click on a link from the email to a website. Although the website may look genuine, it is in fact a bogus website.