Why it’s so important to be #ScamAware
As our annual Scams Awareness campaign gets underway, we reflect on why now is the time to be tough on scams.
At the height of the pandemic we shared 5 ways to help you avoid coronavirus scams and 4 coronavirus scams to look out for. Now, as lockdown restrictions ease and people adjust to “normal” life, we want to highlight why it’s more important than ever to be #ScamAware.
We’ve got more to worry about than usual
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, people are facing more problems than ever before — from employment and debt, to housing and health. At Citizens Advice, we’ve seen a surge in demand for our advice across the board.
Our advice pages have been viewed more than 15.8 million times, a 24% increase on the same period last year since Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic.
Many of us are understandably more anxious and preoccupied than we usually would be — making us the perfect target for scammers. Our new research reveals 1 in 3 people have been contacted by a scammer since the coronavirus outbreak. However, this increases to 1 in 2 people in the group who are at greater risk of coronavirus.
We’re more accessible to scammers
Since lockdown began, we’ve been relying on the internet more than usual. It’s been our gateway to stay connected with friends, access essential services and work from home. Unfortunately, relying on the internet also gives scammers more opportunities to take advantage of us. Our own website data shows a 19% surge in queries related to scams compared to the same time last year. And our recent polling indicates many scammers work using the internet, with just under a quarter of scams (24%) sent via email alone.
Scams are more sophisticated
Spotting scams isn’t as easy as it used to be. Scammers can appear like any other genuine organisation or authority. Examples of sophisticated scams include scammers claiming to be from HMRC offering financial support, and frauds claiming to be affiliated with the World Health Organisation offering a list of infected people in an area.
Taking action against scams has never been easier
Scams haven’t been reported much in the past for 2 key reasons. Firstly, the stigma surrounding scams has deterred victims from talking about their experience. And secondly, many people have been confused and unsure of how to best report them. As awareness grows and people start to understand that scams can happen to anyone, this is changing. It’s also helped by the many online tools, including our online scams helper and National Cyber Security Centre’s reporting tool for suspicious emails, which allow people to take action with the click of a button.
Reporting
If you’ve been the victim of an online scam contact the Citizens Advice Scams Action service online or over the phone 0808 2505050. We can give you advice and report scams or potential scams to Trading Standards.
You should also report all types of scams to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud. They can use this information to help tackle scams on a larger scale, protecting others from future harm.
Our annual Scams Awareness Campaign runs from the 15- 28 June. Find out how you can get involved on our website and help people be #ScamAware.
