Helping you stay safe from common fraud…

We’re a mutual building society and we’re proud to deliver a first-class customer service consistently. Our members are at the heart of what we do and we’re committed to helping people towards a safe and secure financial future. One important part of this is helping you stay safe against fraud.

February 2023 update- Criminals continue to target those looking for love online

UK Finance’s Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign is warning people to stay alert to criminals posing as an online love interest. Money lost to romance fraud remains high, with a worrying £16.6 million stolen through these scams in the first half of 2022.  

A survey conducted by UK Finance showed that of those who started a romantic relationship online in the last 12 months, just under half (47 per cent) categorically state that they need to meet their date in person to trust that they are who they say they are.  

In a romance scam, criminals use a fake profile to target their victim and build a relationship. Once the criminal has gained their victim’s trust, they will then ask the person for money. Almost a third (29 per cent) of people who had met someone online in the last 12 months said that they had been asked to give or lend money to someone they hadn’t met in person.  

The findings showed that over half of those asked to give or lend money (51 per cent) subsequently agreed to do so. Almost half of them (48 per cent) sent between £100 and £1000, with a further eight per cent sending over £1000.  

In the average romance scam case, the victim is tricked into making around eight payments. These are generally smaller sums over a long period to make it appear more convincing to the victim. The survey findings also highlighted that people are often given different reasons as to why the money is needed, with the three most common being: to pay for an emergency (52 per cent); to pay for the person’s travel to meet them (33 per cent); and, to pay one of their bills (32 per cent). 

Take Five to Stop Fraud provides advice on how to stay safe from romance scams when dating online: 

• Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person, particularly if you have only recently met online. 
• Speak to your family or friends to get advice and share experiences. 
• Profile photos may not be genuine, so you should make sure to do your research first. You can do this by uploading a picture of the person you’re talking to into your search engine to check that profile photos are not associated with another name. Performing a reverse image search can find photos that have been taken from somewhere, or someone, else. 
• Stay on the dating sites messaging service until you’re confident the person is who they say they are and ensure meetings in person take place in a public place. Online dating platforms have moderation and reporting processes in place to protect daters and remove scammers. 
• Contact your bank straight away if you think you may have fallen victim to a romance scam, notify Action Fraud and let the platform on which you met the scammer know about the incident. 

If you believe you’ve fallen for a scam, contact your Bank or Building Society immediately on a number you know to be correct, such as the one listed on your statement, their website or on the back of your credit or debit card.

Report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk. If you are in Scotland, please report to Police Scotland directly by calling 101 or Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000.

Take Five

Take Five is a national awareness campaign led by UK Finance and backed by Her Majesty’s Government delivered with, and through, a range of partners in the UK payments industry. They offer lots of hints and tips and they provide straight-forward and impartial advice on financial fraud prevention

Consumers are urged to follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to:

• Stop: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
• Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse, or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
• Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.

The campaign urges you to stop and consider whether a situation is genuine – to stop and think if what you’re being told really makes sense.

Visit the Take Five website for their advice and to access the helpful material they provide. Here you can find more information and advice on how to protect yourself .

Are you Scam Savvy?

Criminals are turning to more sophisticated ways to take your money, whether through online offers, emails or telephone calls. Can you outsmart them? Put your ability to spot a scam to the test with Take Five's spot a scam Quiz and see if you are scam savvy.

Some important rules to follow to keep you safe online from common frauds:

Things to look out for in emails…

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be cautious of an email subject line or content that looks false or causes suspicion.
2. Look out for poor spelling and grammar in emails. It can be a clear sign of phishing.
3. Be suspicious of requests for lots of personal information. Ask yourself why do they need to know that? Or what is its relevance?
4. Is there a deadline or countdown? Fraudsters will often use pressure to try and get you to act quickly and provide what they want.
5. Check the sender's email address; hover your cursor over the senders email address as it’s listed in your inbox. If the website displayed isn’t in the name of the alleged email sender, it could be a phishing email.
6. If you receive an email from an unknown sender, don’t action it without verifying the sender.
7. Delete any suspect emails or text messages. Don’t forward it on to anyone as this can add some credibility and encourage the recipient to follow any instructions.
8. Check the person who called you, or who sent you an email from an organisation, is genuine. Call them back on a verified number from the organisation's website or telephone directory.
9. If you believe you have received a fake email, phone call or text message, contact the genuine party to notify them.
10. Be careful if you have to allow anyone to have remote access to your PC or device. You must be certain the request is coming from a trusted source.

A quick jargon buster…

Phishing
Phishing is where a fraudster will send an email which appears to be from a legitimate company, attempting to obtain personal details from you. These phishing emails often contain a link directing you to a website which will ask you to re-verify your details.

But beware, this will usually be a fake website but it will look real and could also trigger the unknowing download of a virus to your PC or device. If the fraudster gets hold of your password and personal details they can use this information to commit further crimes.

Vishing
This is very similar to phishing but takes place over the phone. Instead of getting you to go to a website, the fraudster may request personal details from you directly or ask you to transfer money to an account.

Smishing
Just like vishing, fraudsters contact you by phone but instead of a phone call it is done using text messages where you are usually asked to follow a link or call a telephone number. This is called smishing.

Twishing
Again, this is another form of phishing but this scam takes places on Twitter and often involves getting users to hand over their usernames or passwords.

Action to take
If you think you have been the victim of fraud you should report this to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit actionfraud.police.uk

Please note: This information does not constitute legal or financial advice given by Harpenden Building Society. No reliance should be placed on this guide and you must make your own decisions, we recommend that you seek independent advice if you have any questions or queries.