Ablestoke Consulting Scam Avoidance Guide
Scams are schemes which are designed to con unwary people out of their money. Scams come in a variety of types and can be quite sophisticated; therefore even experienced people can be caught out. You may well have already come across scams in your life such as letters from abroad asking you to share in a fortune if your bank account can be used to release funds that are locked away overseas, premium rate competition scams, bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, and fake health cures. These are some of the favourite scams used by unscrupulous fraudsters. As the number of scams seems to be increasing, Ablestoke’s Scam Avoidance Guide is designed to make you aware and save your money.
Here are some of the most common scams:
· Bogus Government Department Scams - letters or emails claiming to be from government departments such as the Financial Services Authority asking for your personal information or money.
· Bogus communications form HMRC - letters or emails claiming to be from the Inland Revenue asking for your account information or payment or offering a tax rebate.
· Bank Charge reclaim cold callers - telephone calls or emails out of the blue, offering to help reclaim your bank charges - often claiming to be from the Office Of Fair Trading
· Identity Fraud - someone impersonates you without your knowledge, often by stealing discarded or lost documents.
· Money In Overseas bank account Scams – a letter or email claiming that there is money in an overseas bank account left by someone with the same name as you who is deceased, and that the money has been frozen by the bank as there are no relatives. They suggest you can have the money transferred to your account and that you will receive a large part of the money as your fee.
· Inheritance Scams – a letter from someone claiming to be a solicitor for a long lost relative, offering you their services in securing money left to you.
· Advance Fee Scams - letters or emails that offer you large amounts of money if you make payments up front.
· Credit Card Scams - a telephone call telling you that you have been a victim of fraud and asking you to verify your card details.
· Fraud Recovery Scams – a phone call or email from someone claiming to be from an organisation tackling fraud and offering to help you recover money from a previous fraud.
· Mobile Phone Insurance Scam – a telephone call soon after buying your mobile phone offering you insurance cover.
· Missed call fraud – you receive a call on your mobile phone, but the person hangs up after one ring. If you call back, you are put through to a specially set up premium-rate phone number.
Generally, firms have to be regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the UK's financial services regulator, or be the agent of a regulated firm. Regulated firms and their agents are put on the FSA Register and have to meet certain standards. Always make sure that the firm you use is on the FSA Register before handing over your money. If they aren't regulated by the FSA, you won't have access to complaints and compensation procedures if things go wrong. To find out if a firm is on the FSA Register – www.fsa.gov.uk/register/
For more information visit: www.ablestoke.com
For Ablestoke news visit: www.ablestoke.blogspot.com
