Below are a selection of links and resources to help you understand more about how to keep safe online.
The Little Guide to… preventing fraud and cyber crime
The Metropolitan Police have created the Little series of books and videos to explain some of the most common scams and give advice on how to avoid falling victim to them.
6 ways fraudsters win your trust
From Which? Scam Alert Service: Learn the psychological tricks underpinning most scams, so you can spot the warning signs.
AI Chatbots
From Which? Scam Alert Service: Are AI chatbots risking a new wave of convincing scams?
AI-powered chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Bard, can produce well-written text, which could arm cybercriminals with the tools to send convincing phishing messages. Find out whether ChatGPT and Bard are doing enough to protect you from scammers.
Amazon
In impersonation scams, a scammer reaches out to you pretending to be someone you trust to get sensitive information like national insurance numbers, bank information, or Amazon account details. Scammers change tactics quickly making them hard to detect.
Scam Trend: Email attachment scams
Scammers send emails posing as Amazon and include pdf attachments stating that your account will be suspended or on hold. These attachments prompt you to click on a fraudulent link to “update your account.” These links lure you to provide personal information such as payment information or account login credentials.
Please do not click on any links or provide your information without authenticating the email or verifying the link. Visit the Message Centre which displays a log of authentic communications sent from Amazon.
Prime membership scams
These are unexpected calls/texts/emails that refer to a costly membership fee or an issue with your membership and ask you to confirm or cancel the charge. These scammers try to convince you to provide payment or bank account information in order to reinstate a membership.
Amazon will never ask you to provide payment information for products or services over the phone. To verify your Prime Membership status or make payments, log into your Amazon account, and go to Your Account.
Here are some important tips to identify scams and keep your account and information safe:
1. Trust Amazon-owned channels.
Always go through the Amazon mobile app or website when seeking customer service, tech support, or when looking to make changes to your account.
2. Be wary of false urgency.
Scammers may try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they’re asking. Be wary any time someone tries to convince you that you must act now.
3. Never pay over the phone.
Amazon will never ask you to provide payment information, including gift cards (or “verification cards,” as some scammers call them) for products or services over the phone.
4. Verify links first.
Review the link for misspellings or repeated characters. Legitimate Amazon websites contain “amazon.co.uk” or “amazon.co.uk/support.” Go directly to our website when seeking help with Amazon devices/services, orders or to make changes to your account.
5. Verify email senders.
Legitimate Amazon emails contain “@amazon.co.uk”. In your web browser, hover over the display name under “From” to see full sender address. Look for misspellings or added or substituted characters. Visit the Message Centre to view authentic messages from Amazon.
For more information on how to stay safe online, visit Security & Privacy on the Amazon Customer Service page.
If you receive communication — a call, text, or email — that you think may not be from Amazon, please report it to us at, amazon.co.uk/reportfraud
Banks
From Which? Scam Alert Service: How good is your bank at refunding scam victims?
Fraud victims often face a frustrating and unpredictable process when trying to recover their losses. Some banks reimburse almost every penny, while others barely cover a fraction of the losses.
The regulator has released a ranking of the 14 largest UK banking groups based on the amount of money they refunded to victims in 2022. So, find out where your bank ranks.
Scam Sharer Tool
From Which? Scam Alert Service:
There’s now a much easier way to make us aware of scams directly with our scam sharer tool. Tell us your experiences of phishing emails, fake texts, cold calls and other types of fraud. Scam Sharer – free Which? tool
