Divulging Personal Information Inadvertently

Be wary of surveys or competitions either online, on the street or on the telephone.  If they ask for contact information in exchange for entries into free directories or competitions or shopping vouchers be extremely careful.  These are often just a method to collect personal information which will be sold to many companies.

Personal Information Advice

• If in any doubt, do not respond
• Subscribe to the various opt out services – email, phone, fax and mail.  If you are still approached you will know that it is suspicious
• Opt out of having your electoral roll details used for marketing purposes

Mortgage Refinancing Schemes

Criminals sometimes make an approach pretending to be mortgage consultants or lenders with offers of remortgage or equity release schemes.

The email or letter may look very convincing with genuine logos stolen from genuine lenders, but the address and phone number will be the criminal's, not the genuine mortgage lender. This is an easy method for criminals to obtain detailed information about you.

Mortgage Refinancing Advice

• Do not respond to these direct approaches – make your own approach to reputable high street lenders or brokers

A Dream Job Offer

Be aware of an employment scam where you suddenly receive a call from a head hunter or maybe you see an advertisement for a dream job with a well known company.  You quickly send in your CV to the Personal Manager at the address provided.

A few days later your receive a call advising you have been shortlisted for the position but before the interview which is on such and such a date, the caller needs some additional information so that a background check can be carried out (usually to comply with some legislation like the Financial Services Act or some EEC Directive).  You will be asked to provide your date and

place of birth, your mother’s maiden name and your bank details so that a bank reference can be obtained.

Unfortunately when you turn up for the interview the company knows nothing about you or the vacancy.  Then you discover that your bank account is empty!

Advice

• Never give your date and place of birth or your mother’s maiden name to anyone you don’t trust.  Employers do not usually ask for this information so be very suspicious if anyone asks for it
• Limit your CV to basic facts – do not include your date of birth
• View any approach by a head hunter with some suspicion
• If in any doubt telephone the company and ask to verify the post by speaking to the interviewer.  Find the number yourself rather than using the one supplied on any letter

Jury Service Scam

You receive a telephone call from someone who says they are an officer of the court.  They say that you have failed to report for jury duty – this is a serious offence and a warrant is out for your arrest.  Even though you tell them you never received a notification, they advise that one was sent and frighten you with the seriousness of the offence.

To try and clear it up, the caller will ask for some information for verification purposes that will include your full name, date of birth etc.  They now have all the information they need for identity theft.
The final scam is the statement that you can avoid being arrested if you pay an instant fine.  To do that you will need to provide them with your credit card details.  They’ve got you again!

The jury duty scam is a simple one - scare you first then give you a way out.

Advice

• Remember that court officers never ask for personal or confidential information over the phone.  Courts normally follow up with potential jurors and no-show jurors by mail
• Never give out personal information including credit card details to anyone on the phone when you haven’t initiated the call
• If you are unsure about a telephone call, ask for the caller's name and organization's or department's details and then hang up.  Find a legitimate contact number for the organization using a telephone directory or other means [Don't use a contact number provided by the caller] and then call the organization and ask to speak to the original caller by name

Bogus Police Officers Investigating Bank Card Fraud

This fraud is often aimed at elderly people and occurs when the criminals contact a potential victim posing as police officers investigating fraudulent activity on their bank card.  They even call several times to gain the victim’s trust and then visit the victim’s home to collect their bank card and PIN.

Advice

• Your bank would be the first organisation to contact you if they suspect you are a victim of credit card fraud.  Ring them for confirmation
• You should always request and verify the identification of any person who calls at your door that you do not know.  A police officer who calls at an address would always have and show a warrant card
• Never reveal your PIN number to anyone

BT Phone Scam

A caller rings up saying they are from BT and they're calling because your account is in arrears.  They ask for bank or credit card details then and there to clear the account.  If the account holder refuses to give their credit card information or asks for proof, the criminal says that they will disconnect the phone line then and there.

Once the victim puts the phone down, the caller stays on the line, thus giving the impression that the line has been disconnected.

BT have put out a warning as this scam is currently happening all over the UK.  See the BBC news item.

Advice

• Never give your bank or credit card information out on the phone if you have not initiated the call
• Although BT does sometimes call customers about outstanding bills, it never disconnects the line during the call