Investment scams and fraud
Even experienced investors can fall victim to scammers. Find out what to look out for.
Phone scams are a common way for criminals to con people out of their money. Find out some of the most common phone scams and what you can do to stay safe.
A cold call is a phone call out of the blue from a company or person you've never dealt with before, usually trying to sell you something. They aren't always scams, but they can be irritating.
It can be hard to tell the difference between a scam and cold calling. But, it's good to know some common scams so you can be prepared.
Watch out for calls supposedly from your bank about fraudulent use of your bank account or bank cards. Scammers might ask you for your PIN and tell you to give your bank card to a courier. Your bank would never do this.
These can be calls from someone claiming to be the 'undercover police', claiming that they're investigating a member of staff at your bank and asking for your card details. The police would never ask you to take part in an investigation like this.
The person may call and tell you that your device has a virus, and that you need to download software to fix it. This is actually spyware – an unwanted programme that runs on your device and can give scammers access to all your online information.
You may get a call from someone claiming to be from HMRC saying there's an issue with your tax refund or an unpaid tax bill. They may leave a message and ask you to call back. HMRC would never contact you this way and would never ask you to reveal personal financial information such as your bank account details.
Calls claiming to be about correcting your Council Tax band or giving you a Council Tax rebate. Your council would never call you about a rebate out of the blue.
This is a call from a company asking about a car accident you’ve supposedly had claiming you may be entitled to compensation. Don’t engage in these calls. If you’ve had an accident, call your own insurance company on the phone number provided on your policy.
You might receive a text asking you to follow a link to fix a problem with one of your accounts or to track a parcel. These links will often take you to a fake website and get you to log in, which scammers can then use to access your information.
Watch out for calls asking you to pay to renew your membership of the Telephone Preference Service. The service is free and any calls asking you to pay for it are scams.
Be wary of cold calls or texts from strange numbers offering products or services, such as pension or debt management.
These are unwanted or pushy sales calls, or investment opportunities that seem too good to be true.
Scammers can mimic an official telephone number, which can trick you into thinking the caller is from a legitimate organisation, such as a bank or utility company.
Just because someone knows your basic details doesn't mean they're legitimate. These details could include your name, address, your mother's maiden name and even your Direct Debits.
There are things you can do to protect yourself from scams:
If you've received a scam call, there's support available:
There are also ways to report scam texts and WhatsApp users:
We offer support through our free advice line on 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year. We also have specialist advisers at over 120 local Age UKs.
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