A recent survey has used scam data to predict the time and day that you are most likely to be scammed.
Using the experiences of 3,000 fraud victims from the last two years, the report, published in the Independent, suggests that you are most susceptible to scammers on a Wednesday or a Thursday afternoon.
Indeed, 43% of those surveyed were scammed in the afternoon, with fraudsters looking to strike at times when we are busiest, most preoccupied, or feeling tired.
Keep reading to find out more about how this survey could help you in the future, and some of the most common recent scam types to look out for.
Impersonation scams continue to cost victims thousands
Lloyds Banking Group confirmed in February 2024 that impersonation scams rose 13% last year, with the average victims left £3,000 out of pocket.
Meanwhile, Which? has compiled a list of common, and recently reported impersonation scams, including:
1. Phone scams
Sky Maintenance
The latest scam reports include telephone calls from “Sky Maintenance”, asking if you want to renew or cancel your current Sky contract or requesting payment for insurance on Sky equipment. You might be offered a discount to act now or be threatened with a fine for not responding.
When a caller puts financial and time pressures on you, this should be an immediate red flag. This is true wherever the caller purports to be from, even if that’s HMRC.
HMRC
A recent phone scam has seen victims receive a prerecorded message threatening legal action for unpaid tax.
While these calls claim to be from HMRC and can be worrying, the government organisation would never contact you in this way so hang up. You can then report the suspicious phone call to HMRC using their website.
Passport office
Finally, another phone scam becoming more prevalent as the summer nears involves your passport. This might be especially concerning if you’ve booked to travel abroad and it is exactly this worry that scammers are preying on.
As with the above HMRC scam, you might be asked to press one to speak to an operator, but don’t. Instead, immediately hang up.
Legitimate contact about your passport is highly unlikely to be via this method, but if you’re worried, you can always contact the official passport advice line yourself, on 0300 222 0000.
Next steps
These are just a few common examples of telephone scams. The call you receive might be different, but there will be similar red flags to look out for.
If you have any suspicions at all, hang up immediately. If you’re still worried, find a contact number and ring the organisation to find out if they have contacted you and if the issue is genuine.
2. Email, text and website scams
Email scams are known as “phishing” scams, while “smishing” refers to text scams. Either might direct you to a company website that looks genuine but is, in fact, a clone site intended to harvest your data or directly defraud you.
Solar panels
Back in May, Action Fraud took to X (formerly Twitter) to issue an alert on phishing emails containing “offers” on solar panels. The email required you to input personal details to check your eligibility for funding but the site is only designed to steal your information.
You can report suspicious emails by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk but only do so if you’re confident using email. Also, be sure not to click on any links within the mail itself.
Vodafone
Impersonation scams can also target customers of specific phone networks. You might’ve received a recent scam text from Vodafone confirming you have built up loyalty points that need redeeming within a short timescale.
Again, any unsolicited contact that puts time pressure on you should immediately make you suspicious. Delete the message immediately or report it by forwarding it to 7726. Once forwarded, be sure to delete it.
Stay vigilant and always take time out to think
As the Independent report confirms, scammers will look to contact you when you’re busy and have other things on your mind.
They’ll promise a benefit but likely give you limited time to decide with the threat of financial penalty or the end of a once-in-a-lifetime deal for slow responses.
By contacting you when you’re busy or purporting to be from authorities like HMRC or the passport office, they hope to hurry you into poor decision-making, so don’t let them.
Always take a step back and give yourself a moment to think. Look for red flags and remember that a genuine caller will be happy for you to hang up and ring them back on a number you find yourself.
Finally, if the contact is via text or email, don’t click any links and don’t input personal data as the site (however genuine it looks) could be a part of the scam.
Get in touch
Please email hello@globeifa.co.uk or call us on 020 8891 0711 to discuss how Globe IFA’s expert financial advisors can help you manage your money without the need for “too good to be true” offers.
Please note
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
