We have unfortunately discovered a new telephone scam that has been circulating. Scammers have set up an automated message claiming to be from various companies or banks (the most common one is Amazon, although they can claim to be from anywhere).

They state that a payment has been charged on your account and to either press 1 to authorise it or 2 to raise this as a fraudulent transaction. Once you have pressed a number, you will be transferred through to somebody who will take your personal information and tell you to transfer funds to a “safe account”.

If you receive one of these calls, we recommend that you take the following steps to protect yourself:

• Hang up from the call immediately and do not engage with anybody on the line.

• Wait a few minutes and then call the number on the back of your bank card – when calling out, make sure that there is a dialing tone. Many scammers will stay on the line and impersonate a member of bank staff.

• Ensure that your account is in order with the bank and report the call. They may not be able to take it any further if your account is safe but they will be aware of new types of fraudulent activity that is going on – this means they can notify customers so this doesn’t happen to others.

As well as the above, you can report the call to Action Fraud
on 0300 123 2040 or via their online reporting tool: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

You can also join Friends Against Scams, a group set up by the National Trading Standards which provides you with tools to learn about what scams are out there and how to spot and support a victim.

For further information, you can visit the Government website on how to protect yourself from fraud and cyber crime: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime