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Q1082: What is a postal scam?

Answer

A postal scam is a letter sent with the sole intention of gaining money through deception. Scam mail is mass produced and made to look like a personal letter or important document, to trick the recipient into sending cash, making money transfers or disclosing personal information.

Here are common types of postal scams to be aware of:

Lotteries and prize draws
These are two of the most common scams. Victims are told they have won a fantastic prize or large amount of cash but are asked to send some sort of fee to release it. A genuine lottery won't ever ask you to pay a fee to collect your winnings.

Psychics and clairvoyants
Scammers claiming to be able to see into the future, say they have information about your impending fate and you must pay them to find out what it is.

Parcel delivery scam
A card is posted through the victim's door stating that a delivery service was unable to deliver a parcel and that they need to contact the service by phone on the number provided on the card. This is usually a premium rate number with a long recorded message, causing the victim to receive an expensive phone bill.

Pyramid schemes
A scammer advertises an investment scheme and claims it offers extraordinary profits for little or no risk. You are required to pay a fee to enter the scheme and get financial rewards for recruiting friends or family to also enter the scheme. In reality the product you are investing in is usually worthless or non-existent and your money is not invested but simply passed on to the scammers.

Here are some steps to prevent you from falling victim to postal scams:

  • Never respond to scam letters, as you are likely to get more if you do.
  • Be wary of anyone who writes to you out of the blue, claiming that you have won something or can earn high rewards for a low investment.
  • Does the letter contain bad spelling or grammar? If so, it's likely to be a scam.
  • If a letter claims to be from a genuine source, contact the relevant organisation using details from their website and not those provided in the correspondence.
  • Are they asking you for money? Always start from the position that any request for money is suspicious unless proven otherwise. Don't send any money.
  • If you have received scam post and you are worried, talk to someone you trust, such as a friend or family member.

Although many people feel embarrassed about falling for a scam, it is nothing to be ashamed of, and you should not be worried about reporting it. Many people fall victim to scams, and fraudsters have a range of techniques to trick people and are trying new scams all the time.

If you believe you have fallen victim to a postal scam you can report the incident to Action Fraud, please see the link in related information.

Postal scams can also be reported to Royal Mail, who run a joint initiative with Trading Standards to investigate reports of scam mail.

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Scammers will contact you and may pretend to be from your bank, HMRC or the police, they may do this over the phone, email, text message or social media apps. They warn you that there has been suspicious or criminal activity with your bank account, and then explain they have set up an account (a safe account) that you can transfer your money to. This will always be their account, and even if they say it’s in your name you will not be able to access it.

Protect yourself:

  • Always be suspicious of a cold caller claiming to be from your bank or a position of authority.
  • Someone who is genuinely from a trusted authority or an official from your bank will never ask you to confirm your details.
  • Make sure you get the callers details and then check the details independently.
  • Banks do not set up safe accounts for people to transfer money to.
  • Never transfer money to someone unless you are 100% sure.

If you think you have been the victim of a scam such as this, we recommend that you contact your bank as soon as possible. You should also report it to Action Fraud. See Is this a scam? for details on the different types of scams and the related information for guidance on how to protect yourself from scammers.

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With the increase in online banking and the introduction of contactless payments, criminals are finding new ways to scam people out of their money. There are a few common scams relating to banking.
 
Cash Machines
Cash machines are good targets for criminals as they can fit devices to cash machines that may trap the bank card or copy the card details and record the PIN. They may also try to distract you by making conversation, allowing an accomplice to then take your card and cash. Another tactic is to ask if something on the floor is yours, distracting you in allowing them to get your money and/ or card.
 
Ways to protect yourself against it are to make sure you are:
  • Be wary of anyone approaching when you are at a cash machine,
  • Always shield your PIN (Personal Identification Number), the best way is to stand close to the cash machine and cover the keypad with your purse/ wallet or spare hand,
  • If your card is ever retained by the machine do not leave the cash machine. Report it immediately by calling your card issuers number.
Cards and Contactless Payment
This method of payment has become increasingly popular and there are many myths around this use of payment.
 
One that is common is that people can come along with a card payment machine whilst the card is in your bag and take the information on your card to then commit fraud. This is not true because whilst a card reader that is contactless-enabled can read a card from 10cm away the information it receives is what is stored on the front of the card. Which is never enough to clone a card as it is incomplete for the information needed. As the card reader needs to be very close to the card this also makes it impossible for the details to be intercepted when in use, something that is also a common myth.
 
There are a few tips you can follow to reassure yourself that no one has used your card through contactless payment:
  • Always go through your bank statements and check which are contactless, to make sure you recognise them all,
  • Don’t let anyone take your card out of sight for payment under any circumstances. They could use this time to copy the information stored in the magnetic strip or the CCV code on the back of the card,
  • If your card or phone, with card payments, enabled on it, are ever stolen inform your bank as soon as possible.   
Online banking
With online banking becoming increasingly popular so are criminals trying to scam people out of their money. Some banks may give one-time passcodes sent to your device so you can make payments, always keep these and any personal details, passwords or memorable information safe. Never share these with anyone even from your bank. If someone asks for these details, they are most certainly a criminal. You can protect yourself by:
  • Making sure any passwords or memorable information are chosen with care, try to make them as random as possible,
  • Always keep any banking apps or software up to date by downloading updates when prompted,
  • Remember to log out of your online banking account or app every time, simply closing the app/ web page or turning off your device may not be enough,
  • If you use any banking apps/ websites in public take care to shield your PIN, passcode or any passwords used,
  • It is difficult to tell if public WI-FI spots are secure so never use them for banking,
  • Never share any security codes, passwords or memorable information that can be sued to access your account with anyone,
  • If your bank ever calls you get a reference code from them, then hang up and call them back using a number you know is safe. Such as one on their website or listed on your banking information. Only call back once the line has been cleared, if you are unsure about this call using a different phone than the one they contacted you on.  
For more information please see the Is this a scam? question.

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Answer

Zoom is a video conferencing app. Zoom Bombing is a cyber-attack on your video call where an individual or a group of people enter the call without the permission of the host. These individuals then display offensive or explicit images in order to cause distress to the recipients.

Video conferencing helps many people work remotely and allows us to stay in touch with our families and friends. Unfortunately as worldwide use of video conferencing continues to increase, so has the volume of cyber-attacks.

The links in Related Information provide details of how to secure your Zoom meeting and prevent unwanted people joining.

If you have experienced Zoom Bombing, this can be reported to Zoom and depending on the nature of the content, your local police force.

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Phishing is a cyber crime where criminals contact people by email, telephone or text message, pretending to be a legitimate organisation. They try to get people to provide personal information such as bank details and passwords, and often include links that once clicked, download a virus to your computer and steal personal information. The information is then used to access accounts and can result in identity theft and financial loss.

Be aware of suspicious messages and emails and do not click on links or attachments in them. Never respond to unsolicited messages that ask for your personal or financial details.

If you do receive a suspicious email, this can be reported to National Cyber Security Centre via their Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) Any suspected frauds committed by email can be send to Action Fraud. See Q680 and Q749 for further information regarding fraud and see the links in Related Information to report any suspicious or fraudulent emails.

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Phishing emails and texts claiming to be from HMRC have become more prevalent over the past few years, particularly during the pandemic.

Examples of phishing emails can be found on the following link:

gov.uk/government/publications/phishing-and-bogus-emails-hm-revenue-and-customs-examples

Fraudsters ask for immediate action. Be wary of emails containing phrases like 'you only have 3 days to reply' or 'urgent action required'. Remember, phishing emails are common for all sorts of issues. As a rule of thumb, never click on links contained in suspicious emails or open attachments.

The link below provides genuine HMRC contact information and guidance on how to recognise phishing emails:

gov.uk/government/publications/genuine-hmrc-contact-and-recognising-phishing-emails/genuine-hmrc-contact-and-recognising-phishing-emails

Please see Q1023 for how to report a suspicious/ phishing/ scam email.

If you have already responded to a suspicious message, take the following steps:

  • if you have provided your bank details, contact your bank as soon as possible and let them know,
  • if you have lost money, tell your bank and report it as a crime to Action Fraud,
  • change your passwords, this goes for email and all accounts and create new, strong passwords,
  • if you have opened a link or followed instructions to install software, run a comprehensive virus scan,
  • if you have received the message on a work laptop or phone, contact your IT department and let them know.

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Question

Q1082: What is a postal scam?

Answer

A postal scam is a letter sent with the sole intention of gaining money through deception. Scam mail is mass produced and made to look like a personal letter or important document, to trick the recipient into sending cash, making money transfers or disclosing personal information.

Here are common types of postal scams to be aware of:

Lotteries and prize draws
These are two of the most common scams. Victims are told they have won a fantastic prize or large amount of cash but are asked to send some sort of fee to release it. A genuine lottery won't ever ask you to pay a fee to collect your winnings.

Psychics and clairvoyants
Scammers claiming to be able to see into the future, say they have information about your impending fate and you must pay them to find out what it is.

Parcel delivery scam
A card is posted through the victim's door stating that a delivery service was unable to deliver a parcel and that they need to contact the service by phone on the number provided on the card. This is usually a premium rate number with a long recorded message, causing the victim to receive an expensive phone bill.

Pyramid schemes
A scammer advertises an investment scheme and claims it offers extraordinary profits for little or no risk. You are required to pay a fee to enter the scheme and get financial rewards for recruiting friends or family to also enter the scheme. In reality the product you are investing in is usually worthless or non-existent and your money is not invested but simply passed on to the scammers.

Here are some steps to prevent you from falling victim to postal scams:

  • Never respond to scam letters, as you are likely to get more if you do.
  • Be wary of anyone who writes to you out of the blue, claiming that you have won something or can earn high rewards for a low investment.
  • Does the letter contain bad spelling or grammar? If so, it's likely to be a scam.
  • If a letter claims to be from a genuine source, contact the relevant organisation using details from their website and not those provided in the correspondence.
  • Are they asking you for money? Always start from the position that any request for money is suspicious unless proven otherwise. Don't send any money.
  • If you have received scam post and you are worried, talk to someone you trust, such as a friend or family member.

Although many people feel embarrassed about falling for a scam, it is nothing to be ashamed of, and you should not be worried about reporting it. Many people fall victim to scams, and fraudsters have a range of techniques to trick people and are trying new scams all the time.

If you believe you have fallen victim to a postal scam you can report the incident to Action Fraud, please see the link in related information.

Postal scams can also be reported to Royal Mail, who run a joint initiative with Trading Standards to investigate reports of scam mail.
 
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