Scams & Fraud

How can I avoid pension scams?

If you’re considering investing your pension pot, talk to an adviser regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

1. Find an independent financial adviser through Unbiased.co.uk
2. Check the FCA's register of firms, individuals or financial services
3. Check the FCA's list of unauthorised firms and individuals
4. Use the FCA's Warning List tool to check the risks associated with an investment opportunity

What should I do if I get a scam call?

Older people are often a target for scammers, so it's important to be aware of phone scams and how to handle them. Fortunately, there are things you can do to protect yourself:

• Don't reveal personal details. Never give out personal or financial information (such as your bank account details or your PIN) over the phone, even if the caller claims to be from your bank. 

• Hang up. If you feel harassed or intimidated, or if the caller talks over you without giving you a chance to speak, end the call. It may feel rude to hang up on someone, but you have the right not to be pressurised into anything.

• Ring the organisation. If you're unsure whether the caller is genuine, you can always ring the company or bank they claim to be from. Make sure you find the number yourself and don’t use the one provided by the caller. 

• Don't be rushed. Scammers will try to rush you into providing your personal details. They may say they have time-limited offer or claim your bank account is at risk if you don't give them the information they need right away. 

What are some common types of doorstep scams?

There are many different types of doorstep scams, some of the most common ones include:

• Rogue traders: A cold-caller may offer you a service you don’t really need. They may claim to have noticed something about your property that needs work or improvement, such as the roof, and offer to fix it for cash or an inflated price.
• Bogus officials: People claim to be from your utility company as a way of gaining access to your home. Always check the ID of any official, and if they're genuine they won't mind waiting while you check. 
• Fake charity collections: A fraudster may pretend they're from a charity and ask you to donate money, clothes or household goods. Legitimate charities will all have a charity number that can be checked on the Charity Commission website.  
• Made-up consumer surveys: Some scammers ask you to complete a survey so they can get hold of your personal details, or use it as a cover for persuading you to buy something you don’t want or need.
• Hard luck stories: Someone may come to your door and ask you to help them out with cash, ask to use your telephone or claim they're feeling unwell. The story is made up and intended to con you out of your money or gain access to your home.

What are online scams?

Online scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and many people are caught out, even those who are regular internet users. Every year in the UK, millions of people lose money to scammers or unknowingly share their personal information.

But there are ways to avoid being taken in by scams if you know what to look for.

Email scams

Scammers send bogus emails in the hope that people will enter their personal or financial details. They may direct you to a fake website, trick you into thinking you've won a lottery or prize.

Some emails, known as spam or junk, may also have a link or file attached for you to click on or open. Opening these links or downloading the files may harm your device.

Scam emails can look genuine and appear to be from official places, like HMRC or a bank, but you can often tell it's a scam. Look out for:

• errors in the spelling or grammar, or an unusual style of writing.
• requests for personal information, such as your username, full password or bank details - genuine organisations will never ask this.
• threats that unless you act now, a deal will expire or your account closed.

TOP TIP: If you see a suspicious email, don't reply with your details or open any links or documents. Delete the email straight away. If the email claims to be from an organisation, phone them directly using the phone number found on their official website and ask them. Find out more about using email and avoiding scams.

Fake websites

Scammers create fake websites which look official, requesting you to provide personal or financial information. For example, a fake bank website may be set up asking you to update your account or security information. Often, they will look very similar and only a few details may be different.

There are also websites set up to look like a copy of a service offered by government websites. For example, websites which offer to help you apply for a passport renewal or a new driving licence. Although they are not illegal, these websites charge extra money if you use them, rather than going directly through the official government department where the service is free of charge.

TOP TIP: Visit your bank's website by typing their offical web address in your internet brower – you can find this on letters from the bank. If you aren't sure about which website to use for a government service, go through GOV.UK, the Government’s official website, to find what you need.

How do I buy groceries online?

Most major supermarkets have online shopping, and you might find that smaller independent shops local to you have an online shopping and delivery service. To shop with major supermarkets:

1. Make an account on the supermarket's website by clicking register and entering your details.
2. First book a delivery slot. This is usually a one hour window on a specific day, and the price of the slot will vary according to demand. It's a good idea to check when the next delivery slot is before you put all the items in your virtual basket.
3. Search for the items you want in the search bar or browse by using the menus. The website is organised with the products in different categories, just like a supermarket aisle.
4. If you've shopped with the same supermarket before online, it will remember what you've previously bought and suggest these to you in your 'Favourites' or 'Previous orders'.
5. Click 'add' underneath the item to add what you want to the virtual trolley.
6. Most supermarkets have a minimum spend of at least £30 before you can get a delivery.
7. Click 'checkout' and enter your payment details to pay for your items. You may be charged a pre-authorisation payment initially, which reserves funds for a future payment. The final payment will be taken on the day of the delivery, so you only pay for exactly what is delivered.
8. On the delivery day, you will be told if any items are out of stock and can't be delivered. You will be offered a substitute item but you don't have to accept it.

If you regularly shop with a supermarket online, it might be worth buying a delivery pass or delivery saver. This is a one-off payment, so you don't need to pay for delivery each time. It might also give you priority access to certain delivery slots.

How do I set up online banking?

To access online banking, first you'll need to register online. You need to already have an account with the bank, then register via their website. The safest way to find the website is to enter the web address printed on a letter you have from the bank.

Each bank will have a slightly different process to set up online banking, and you should phone your bank to enquire about the process. Steps may include the following:

• Entering your personal details including name, contact details and bank account details (sort code and account number).
• The bank will arrange to call you and ask you some questions to verify your identity.
• You may get sent an activation code either in the post or by text message.
• Setting up a username and a secure password or passcode.

Investment scams are usually difficult to spot because they're designed to look like genuine investments. The scammers may have a professional looking website and documents.

However, there are some tell-tale signs that suggest an investment opportunity is likely to be a scam or risky:

• Companies contact you unexpectedly about an investment opportunity via cold calls, emails or follow up calls after sending out a promotional brochure.
• They pressure you with a time-limited offer, e.g. offer a bonus or discount if you invest before a set date.
• They downplay the risks to your money, e.g. they talk about how you will own the actual assets they may sell if the investment doesn’t work as expected, or use legal jargon to mislead you.
• They promise you tempting returns that sound too good to be true, e.g. offer much better interest rates than those offered elsewhere.
• They call you repeatedly and keep you on the phone a long time.
• They say they’re only making the offer available to you or even ask you not to tell anyone else about the opportunity.

What are some common postal scams?

Here are common types of postal scams you should be aware of and what to do if you spot them:

Lotteries and prize draws

You may receive a letter congratulating you on winning a cash prize. But you won’t receive any prize, and you may be asked to call a premium rate number or to pay fees to 'release' your prize.

Don’t respond to these letters, even if they look genuine. A genuine lottery won’t ever ask you to pay a fee to collect your winnings.

Psychics and clairvoyants

Psychics and clairvoyants may send a letter claiming to have seen something in your future and asking for money to disclose what it is. Sometimes the so-called clairvoyants co-ordinate with lottery and prize scams to give the impression that they are ‘predicting’ a piece of ‘good luck’.

Don’t respond – although the letter may look as if you’ve been specially chosen, this type of letter is sent out to millions and is a scam.

Pyramid schemes

Pyramid schemes can take the form of chain letters or investment schemes that offer profits for little or no risk. You may be encouraged to ask others to join, or told to send money to the person who has contacted you to receive your return on investment.

Don’t join the scheme – if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Pyramid schemes often involve overpriced products of no real value. You may receive a threat intended to scare you into responding, ignore these too.

Hard luck stories

With these types of stories, the fraudster may claim to have lost all of their money in unfortunate circumstances or that they need to pay for an operation, and will ask you for money.

These stories are fake. Don’t respond, even to say no, as this will encourage the fraudster to keep contacting you.

Unclaimed inheritance

You may receive a letter addressed to you, which tells you that someone has left you money in their will. These letters can refer to real law firms and even have seemingly genuine email addresses, postal addresses, or websites.

Always check with the Solicitors Regulation Authority as to the authenticity of such letters. They regularly receive reports of similar scams and post them on their website.

Advance fee fraud

You may receive a request to help transfer money out of another country in return for a substantial reward. Often the letter will appear to be from a Government official or lawyer.

Do not reply to the letter and never send your bank or personal details. Often these kinds of scam letters are badly written. If you see spelling mistakes and poor grammar, this is a good indication that it’s a scam.

Bogus job offers

These usually involve an offer of work to do at home if you first send a registration fee. You may even receive an offer of an interview over the telephone.

Legitimate employment agencies will not charge you a registration fee.

How can I protect myself from postal scams?

• Contact the Mailing Preference Service to have your name taken off direct mailing lists in the UK (this won’t cover mail that is unaddressed or from overseas).
• Put a ‘no junk mail’ sign on your door. You can make this sign yourself or buy one online.
• If you receive something you think may be a scam, don’t respond, and throw it away. You can join the Scam Marshal scheme that encourages you to send them your scam mail so they can help catch the scammers.
• You can avoid being added to mailing lists which scammers sometimes get hold of. When you register to vote, tick the box to opt out of the ‘edited register’ (also known as the ‘open register’) as this can be used to send unsolicited marketing mail.
• Always check the credentials of any company or legal professional you're unsure about.
• If you have received or are receiving something that looks like scam mail, talk about it with someone you trust such as a friend or family member, or call Age UK Advice on 0800 169 65 65.