Welcome to our latest Scams Bulletin.
As lockdown begins to ease, the scammers are increasing their efforts. Story in the Guardian says “Scam calls will rise as lockdown eases, says trading standards body”. So now is a good time to be extra vigilant – not just for yourself but for your family, friends and neighbours.
Whilst scam calls dropped during March to May lockdown, Trading Standards are starting to see an increase in scams – especially those referring to Covid-19 and protective equipment. Don’t get fooled. make sure you check into everything you’re offered.
Read the update from Trading Standards here.
Call Blockers
Call Blockers are an excellent way to reduce the number of spam calls you receive. Trading Standards offered 700 free CallBlocker devices earlier this month but they were snapped up in days.
If you can afford it for yourself or a relative you can always purchase a Call Blocker device direct (here. Approx £100). If someone is suffering from an overdose of scam calls then this might be a wise investment.
There are many other ways to cut down on nuisance calls. BT offer BT Protect which can be enabled on BT landlines to help block calls. More info here.
Mobile phone call settings and call apps very often have ways to block calls or at least identify callers.
And you can purchase phone handsets to replace your current one that include call blocking features.
So if you or someone you know is receiving too many nuisance calls then there are call blocking methods you can use (although you might have to pay for them).
If you’ve got specific questions about call blocking then please get involved with our online discussion on the private, NEL Watch discussion forum here.
Social Media Scams
Did you know you can get scammed on Social Media?
This month, GetSafeOnline has a campaign to warm people about Social Media Scams. Visit their website for more information here. So if you’re on Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter or other social media channels, it’s more important than ever to watch out for possible fraud.
There’s an excellent guide for what to look out for and what to do by GetSafeOnline here. There’s a downloadable .pdf leaflet here too.. And Which also has an easy guide to spotting social media scams here.
GetSafeOnline also have a great Facebook page with lots of information and videos and they did a Facebook live session recently with top 10 tips to avoiding social media scams. Watch it here.
Other Scam updates
The latest e-bulletin from ScamShare is always worth reading to find out what to be aware of in the world of scams! Read it here. This edition covers things like ticketing scans, fake goods Covid-19 crisis grant scams and boiler and drain cover scams. All things to make sure you’re not taken in by.
Because DVLA scams are quite common at the moment, it’s worth being aware of how to spot them. Which has produced a useful guide to DVLA scams which you can read here.
Continue the conversation…
Got a question or concern about Scams, Fraud or rogue traders? Our private, online discussion website is for anyone in North East Lincolnshire interested in Neighbourhood Watch or Community Support. Visit it here, get registered (for free), and join in our discussions about scams or any of the topics you read about in these Scam Bulletins.
More next week.
Karl Elliott, karl@vanel.org.uk
Development Manager, VANEL
and development support for NEL Watch