大象传媒 Scam Safe Week is back and will launch a series of new programmes featuring content across TV, radio, iPlayer and online, all designed to educate and inform the public on how to avoid scams and what steps to take if they are targeted.
With scammers growing bolder amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the 大象传媒 aims to provide a timely investigation into the rising fraud industry, from cold-callers to email scams and everything in between. Being targeted by a scammer can have far-reaching effects, often extending beyond financial losses, impacting both mental and general wellbeing.
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Meet the expert spokespeople for 大象传媒 Scam Safe week
Nick Stapleton
Have you noticed any particular types of scams becoming more prevalent recently?
The scam landscape changes constantly based on all manner of things, including current events, the weather, the authorities and regulators' attempts to stop scams and the behaviour of the scammers鈥� potential customers - us.
Probably the singular most profitable scam on the planet at the moment is 鈥榩ig butchering鈥�, a romance scam which pivots into an investment scam, often after weeks of seemingly innocent romantic chat and trust building. It is called pig butchering because of the scammers viewing the trust building as "fattening up" the pig (their victim) before they take them for everything that they have. Those who suffer this scam can lose tens of thousands of pounds or more.
How should people seek out information to better educate themselves about scams?
We have to do a better job of helping people with understanding that it's more necessary than ever to seek out information about scams. The idea that the authorities are going to be able to help you is simply unrealistic. There is so much fraud happening it's impossible for them to tackle 鈥� fraud is 40% of all crime and yet we only convict about 0.1% of all cases. Criminals feeling that they can act with impunity has made them far more daring and shameless with their plans. Protecting yourself against them by engaging with the advice that is available is the best way to ensure your money stays where it should. That鈥檚 why the 大象传媒 has joined forces across all programming to provide our audience with the vital information they need. Morning Live and Scam Interceptors are here to help and will be leading the way throughout Scam Safe week.
What lessons have you learned from any past experiences with scams?
The idea that scams are something for older members of the population to worry about is simply not true. 16-34 year old's are currently our most targeted group, which makes sense - they are the most connected to the online world, with the most quick and easy methods of paying out if you can get them to do so. There is a scam out there for all of us and understanding and believing that is essential. If you haven't been caught yet it isn't because you're too clever, rather that you've simply been lucky. Bear in mind that the scammers are not small operations any more either - this is big business, with some scam operations having hundreds of employees, their own HR and IT departments and enormous glittering office blocks to work from.
Why is 大象传媒 Scam Safe week so important?
Fraud is here to stay. The internet has changed the game in the favour of the criminals, who can now rob us anonymously, across borders and without fear of being caught. It's high time we caught up to that and started the process of taking some of their power away! The sooner we can clue ourselves up against scams, the harder it is for them to make money. Remember, like any other business, if they can't make profit they will close. They will have to move on to something else. We all want to see that happen.
Rav Wilding
Why did you want to take part in 大象传媒 Scam Safe week?
I am passionate about disrupting scam activity and spreading the word to as many people as possible in order to keep them safe.
Scammers are ruthless and heartless criminals that are ruining people鈥檚 lives yet it鈥檚 a crime we can really massively reduce when armed with the correct information and knowledge . Together we can be armed and ready when they try their dirty tactics to take our money.
What are your top 5 tips to avoid being scammed?
Think SCAMS
Stop. Stop when you get a call out of the blue or unexpected knock at the door, stop and ask yourself 鈥淐ould this be a scam?"
Check.Check the person who is calling is from the organisation they claim to be from. If they are at your door check with the company online that they are with them, or if it鈥檚 a phone call hang up and call the company such as phone provider or bank back on the number YOU have for them to see if they are genuine.
Ask.Ask a friend of family member if the email, text message or knock at the door seems genuine to them. 9/10 times it won鈥檛 be, but it takes another pair of eyes or ears to see it as an outsider to allow you to see through the scam attempt.
Money.Never, ever, send or transfer money to anyone who calls out of the blue and claims to be from a reputable organisation such as your bank or the police. Also never send money to anyone you have formed a relationship with online. This is a classic scam called romance fraud and very often the person in the images you 鈥渢hink鈥� you are communicating with is actually a completely different looking person from a different country pretending to be someone else.
Share. Share any scam attempts that happen to you with friends , family and anyone else you are comfortable with. This is incredibly useful to show how scammers operate and to keep others safe. By sharing your story you will be helping others.
Have you ever been caught up in a scam? If so, what happened? How did it affect you?
An older family member was scammed at an ATM. He went to use a machine and during the withdrawal someone asked him to show them where to go on a map they produced. He showed them and afterwards realised his cash card had been taken and money stolen from the ATM. He was distraught and as a pensioner this hit him hard financially. The fraudsters would have forgotten about that crime five minutes later. My relative was still reliving it five years later.
Do you think people are often embarrassed to admit they have been scammed?
Sadly yes. I deal with so many scam victims every day on Scam Interceptors. I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever had one that has not said they feel 鈥榮illy' or 'stupid鈥� which simply shouldn鈥檛 be the case. Scammers are professional criminals and are only interested in getting as much money out of an innocent victim as they can. No one should ever feel embarrassed about being scammed. I have dealt with medical doctors, police officers, lawyers, even cyber security experts who have all be caught out by them. But by sharing their stories they have helped so many others.
Matt Allwright
What鈥檚 the most convincing scam you鈥檝e ever encountered? How did you avoid it or were you tricked by it?
One of my kids had a phone stolen. We tracked it as it was taken to China. We then faced increasingly aggressive and disturbing attempts to get us to unlock it. Luckily it was something I鈥檇 covered before, so we could discount the threats that came our way, but they were really nasty, and I could understand how someone could do otherwise.
Are there any particular type of scams that you think people are more vulnerable to today? Why?
We have a huge global problem with attention. We are all under siege from more information than we can handle and our individual and collective attention span is shorter than it鈥檚 ever been. We need really simple, clear messages like "If it鈥檚 out of the blue, check it鈥檚 for you" about what to accept and what to avoid to combat this. But scams are often complex and hard to detect.
A good example is the courier scam. In a world where we are relying on door-to-door deliveries more and more, and the protocols for receiving items change on a regular basis, making it hard to keep up. It鈥檚 inevitable that these are used to disguise attempts to take our money and property. In a world where we have less headspace than ever before, any rapidly-changing sector that we rely on is going to be easy pickings for scam artists which is why we need for more cross-collaboration to fight these scams - financial services, tech and telecoms should be working together to share data and present a united front against scammers.
What do you think will be the next big trend in scams?
Whatever hits the news next. There will be changes to our pensions and/or taxation in the next budget. All of those changes will provide scam artists with an opportunity for credible-sounding contacts out of the blue. Similarly, every disaster or crisis brings with it an emotional appeal for international help. As soon as we are responding emotionally, either through fear or love, there is a risk that our rational self takes a back seat. Scam artists know this, and use it against us.
In your opinion what are the biggest misconceptions people have about scams?
That there isn鈥檛 one with their name on it, or that they don鈥檛 apply to certain sectors of society. However we鈥檝e been brought up or educated, wherever we are in life, we all have our weak spots, where we are prone to react without thinking rationally, often in the areas where we feel most comfortable or most fearful.
Scams work on percentages. They don鈥檛 have to work on anything more than a tiny fraction of their target to make it worthwhile. If you鈥檙e part of that fraction, whether it鈥檚 a pensioner, timeshare owner, a wine lover or a football fan, then you need to be alert to fend off that threat. People also think that you only lose money to a scam. The real damage is to our view of the world, and our confidence in navigating our way around it. The loss of trust in human nature and the damage to our self-esteem are where the true harm lies.
Rebecca Wilcox
Can you recall a time when you nearly fell for a scam but realised in time? What happened?
Scammers are so sophisticated and clever when it comes to impersonating trusted people and businesses that anyone could fall for it. Once I answered a call on behalf of a relative who was feeling under the weather. It was from her bank and they wanted to double check a suspicious payment on her card. As I sat with my family member going through the initial security process something started to feel odd and thankfully she agreed. We muted the caller and discussed our concerns both agreeing that the best thing to do was hang up and call the bank through the usual number.
The scammer was annoyed when we said we were hanging up and unsurprisingly it turned out, it absolutely was a scam. We reported it to the bank but it was a close thing, I was distracted by looking after my relative and they were not feeling their best so we were both very vulnerable and easier targets than we would have thought. It could have so easily gone so wrong so quickly.
What are some common red flags you look for to identify potential scams?
Are you being rushed, is there a sense of urgency? Are they trying to say it will get worse if you don't stop it now, for instance? Pressure and urgency is a big telltale sign. Have they phoned you and ask you for detailed security information? A real bank will never do that. Does it feel unusual? A real person or business will never mind if you say you will call back to verify who they are, a fake one will try to keep you on the line. Make sure when hanging up that the line has definitely cut off - some scammers stay on the line and pretend to be the verifiable bank or business.
What advice would you give to someone who is deceived by a scam?
Tell someone. Don't feel at all ashamed. Tell the bank, business, card provider, whoever it was as soon as you can as they may be able to stop the payment and the quicker you tell them the more likely it is you can get your money back. Write down all the details - times, dates, call length, what was asked of you and what you said. Details can become vague after a while.
Contact the police on the non-emergency number to let them know what's happened. If you feel that your case hasn't been looked into thoroughly or you don't get the result you wanted you can always contact the financial ombudsman to appeal your case. And remember that anyone can be targeted by a scam, don't feel cross with yourself.