1.
Subscription trap
This scam offers
a free gift or trial offer, if you pay postage and packing to
receive a ‘gift’. Beware as you may unwittingly be
setting up a Continuous Payment Authority (CPA) which allows
the scam firm to take any amount out of your bank account at
any time. Kill the email with this type of offer.
2. Bogus charities
Fraudsters
are all too ready to take advantage of the feeling of Christmas
goodwill. If you receive a marketing email, check it is genuine.
Check the header or hover your mouse over the link - it should
read along the lines of www.charityname.com/donate. If it does
not it is probably a scam. There is no need for charity to
scmscum.
3. Online pop-up shops
Online pop-up
shops claim to deliver in time for Christmas. They will not.
They will take your payment and then vanish. High Street pop-ups
often sell counterfeit or faulty items. Just let let them
pop off elsewhere!
4. Dangerous Christmas gifts
Unsafe toys
and electrical goods, such as phone chargers, which fail to
comply with UK safety laws, continue to be sold. Not only are
these potentially dangerous, they can also damage the economy
and fund crime. Some of these items may be counterfeit. For
peace of mind, always buy from a reputable retailer and get
a receipt for items bought. Do not buy items from people selling
goods in bin liners claiming overstocked items. Just bin
them farewell!
5. E-season greeting cards
These online
festive greetings can contain malware that reads your computer
address book and can steal your credit card and bank details.
Just delete them as soon as they arrive.
6. Bogus gift cards
The internet
is awash with fake gift cards. Only buy from recognised stores.
If you can’t get out, make sure you are on a store’s
official website. See our list of reliable MG specialists.
MG specialists.
7. Loan scams
Christmas time
can put a strain on any budget, and unscrupulous credit businesses
are cashing in on people’s financial desperation. Scammers
either send unsolicited text messages or “cold call”
victims offering them an unsecured loan, and those who accept
can be charged large, up front fees for little or no service.
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8.
Counterfeit and illicit alcohol and tobacco
Properly produced and certified alcoholic drinks are made using
ethanol, which is a type of alcohol that is safe to drink, however
fake alcoholic drinks may contain cheaper forms of alcohol –
found in products like anti-freeze and industrial solvents –
which can make them unsafe for consumption. Selling fake cigarettes
is also illegal. Those who smoke illegal cigarettes, are putting
their lives at risk. Many illegal cigarettes contain arsenic,
pesticides and rat poison. Keep well clear of this type of
offer.
9. Phishing emails
Fraudsters send you a message and attempt to make you click
on a link to a fake site or open some malware that infects your
machine. Logos, email addresses, even the link might look genuine
but you'll get more than you bargained for if you do as the
email asks. Check twice and click once.
10. Scam ticket websites
People purchase non-existent tickets from scam websites to events
such as music festivals, the theatre and airline tickers believing
the sites are legitimate. However, after paying for the tickets,
they are not delivered and any calls and emails go unanswered.
Sometimes scammers will suggest a customer representative will
meet the victim at the venue on the day of the event, but nobody
turns up. People are left both out of pocket and unable to attend
the event. Use the event organiser's own website.
11. Slimming or miracle cure scams
Fraud involving health and medical-related products (e.g. consumer
advertising for ‘miracle’ cures and weight loss products)
and fake online pharmacies. It is unlikely that the products
have been properly tested or proven medically effective, some
might even be dangerous. The advertising often includes fake
testimonials from ‘satisfied customers’, unsubstantiated
claims about product effectiveness, false claims about clinical
tests and worthless ‘money back’ guarantees. The
Times today suggests you will need to walk for 15 hours to burn
off Christmas indulgences!
12. Credit and debit card fraud
Involves fraud attributable to the mis-representation of a product
advertised for sale; the non-delivery of purchased products
(e.g. through an Internet auction site); false brokerage; or
fraudulent payment through a payment service provider, e.g.
PayPal. Fake websites that misrepresent genuine companies and
goods. Simply go to our new online V8 Shop of the Club
Shop. |
