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Ask your fraud and scam questions to Take Five to Stop Fraud representative and Senior Fraud Prevention Officer Tony Blake - chance to win £150 voucher! NOW CLOSED

(156 Posts)

GNHQ have commented on this thread. Read here.

EllieGransnet (GNHQ) Tue 16-Jan-18 17:17:31

Finding out you have been a victim of fraud and/or a scam is never a pleasant experience and often figuring out whether a call/text/email is a scam and/or fraudulent can be quite difficult. Therefore Tony Blake, a Take Five representative and Senior Fraud Prevention Officer would love to answer your questions and queries on fraud and scams.

Here is what Take Five have to say: “Fraudsters are now very sophisticated so it is more important than ever that people are aware of the advice on how to protect themselves from becoming a victim of fraud. Always question any calls, texts or emails asking for your details out of the blue. Stop and think before you give away any information, no matter how legitimate the person sounds – remember – it’s My Money? My Info? I don’t think so. If you’re unsure, hang up and don’t reply and contact the organisation directly on a number you trust.”

Do you want to know the difference between a fraud and a scam? Perhaps you’re not sure what to look out for when it comes to knowing whether something is a scam or not? Or Maybe you have been a victim of a scam before and want to know how to protect yourself in the future?

Here is some more information on fraud expert, Tony Blake:
Tony Blake is a former police officer who currently works for the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) and Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK). Through a range of programs, Tony helps to proactively raise awareness and prevent Fraud.

Please post your questions on the thread below and we’ll choose 15 for Tony Blake to answer and then post a link to the responses as soon as possible. Everyone who posts a question will be entered into a prize draw where one GNer will win a £150 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
GNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

rennie1811 Thu 18-Jan-18 20:48:57

what should you look out for on atm's to ensure that they are safe to use?

ItsGreatBeingAGran Thu 18-Jan-18 20:32:01

On my PC I have virus protection/firewall etc so I'm happy to access my online banking accounts on this, however I'm less happy at using my iPhone to access my current account online.

Does my iPhone offer me any protection against hackers etc.

Thank you.

Funkyferret Thu 18-Jan-18 20:13:15

If ordering online I never check the box offering the option to keep my card details on the company's website for future purchases. It's a hassle to type all the details in over and over again but am I right to do this or am I being over cautious?

Minnibix Thu 18-Jan-18 20:01:44

I do love my contactless payment card, but how do I keep it safe, help please

Pumpkin2 Thu 18-Jan-18 19:52:15

Should I get a special wallet to prevent my contactless card from being compromised?

cheekychicken24 Thu 18-Jan-18 19:40:17

I'm worried about this new 'open banking' that's coming in. Does that mean all my financial providers will be sharing information about me?

Is it safe?

fourormore Thu 18-Jan-18 19:31:44

I like to feel that I am aware of all these scams but then we all do don't we confused
However, how can I get the message through to my dear elderly neighbour who, although is a well educated woman, is so gullible where these things are concerned?
She fallen foul of scam phone calls several times, luckily realising before any damage was done.
Bless her, she returns so many so say 'winning' communications! Just yesterday she came into me asking for a first class stamp so her reply would get there quicker! She had returned some sort of communication last week and this was to confirm her success blah blah blah!
She is simply a neighbour (not any relative) so we cannot interfere except for trying to explain how these things work but she is adamant that someone must win the £15,000 (or whatever the latest win is) and why should it not be her?
She buys a lot of things via mail order companies who of course pass on her details - hence all the amazing prizes she is currently (not) winning.
She complains to us about all the nuisance calls but then feeds her information back into the systems!
We are not related so we cannot tell her what to do so there is nothing we can really do (with my late mother I admit we used to shred and not post sad) but with our neighbour we don't know if she has ordered anything in the same envelope or enclosed a cheque in payment for something she has bought. Obviously it would not be right for us not to post anything she asks us to post as it is her right to return what she likes.
Her family don't want to know - long story.
She refuses to have a call blocker (we have one and it's brilliant) because so many people ring her and to be honest I don't think she would get her head around it if she had one.
That generation are so gullible bless them and need help! Surely something can be done to stop these people preying on the vulnerable?

freefan Thu 18-Jan-18 19:22:28

I had my identity stolen a couple of years ago but luckily my bank picked up on it straight away, and although they cut up my bank card the same day and locked my account until a new card was issued I am worried sick it happens again.
How do I overcome my fears when I'm not sure how they got my details to start with?

s861421 Thu 18-Jan-18 19:06:23

If I can I trust google chrome, and roboform to look after my passwords

Ikea1234 Thu 18-Jan-18 17:24:52

Can you tell us your top tips for spotting a scam email? Whilst some are glaringly obvious, I find some are remarkably sophisticated and I want to be a bit more 'savvy'!

Also, what are the best ways to avoid identity theft? I hear stories about people going through your rubbish, calling you for details....what are your top tips for avoiding being a victim of this?!

compy99 Thu 18-Jan-18 15:53:54

how do you know if someone else is using your broadband? I understand that even with passwords 'locked" internet access can still be accessed from scammers?

katherinesara Thu 18-Jan-18 15:37:50

How do you know your card details are secure when shopping online?

GeminiJen Thu 18-Jan-18 15:32:45

I have a number of passwords.....and a memory that can let me down at times confused
A friend suggested trying a password manager program. Is this something you would recommend? And how much would I expect to pay?

Humph Thu 18-Jan-18 14:57:31

I'm worried about the rise in use of contactless credit cards - are they really safe or can they be easily cloned by someone chatting to you in a bar etc

MSHGW Thu 18-Jan-18 14:52:01

Who should you contact if you think you've been the victim of fraud?

lemongrove Thu 18-Jan-18 14:33:51

If you lose your credit card and don’t notice for a while, will banks take that into consideration ( for redress purposes) as they only say ‘report as soon as possible’.

cluckyhen0 Thu 18-Jan-18 14:31:06

Are contactless cards more susceptible to fraudulent use?

durhamjen Thu 18-Jan-18 13:57:33

Should there be one central website to report fraud?
That way, if the same person/phonenumber is used/ trying to commit fraud, it can be more easily assessed/tracked.

sscrase Thu 18-Jan-18 13:33:46

Do you think the major ISP's/E-Mail providers should be doing more when it comes to dealing with the vast amount of Phishing scams that are in the wild ?. I get the feeling that despite reporting them all, nothing ever happens.

sweir1 Thu 18-Jan-18 13:26:41

How secure are banking accounts?

sassielassie Thu 18-Jan-18 13:12:41

I told my bank I don't want a contactless card due to everything I have been hearing about them. Would you recommend going contactless and if so what are your reasons?

pinkjj27 Thu 18-Jan-18 13:09:56

How can I tighten up Microsoft emails to stop the scams that flood in there are scams everyday I block but it makes no difference, I report it makes no difference. most are caught in my junk file but some are not .

tabbaz Thu 18-Jan-18 13:01:37

I have read that scammers can buy an app that enables them to phone you but it does not show their phone number on your phone it can show any number or name as a caller ID - How do they get away with this! Why aren't these apps banned for sale etc! It makes it so hard now to know when to answer your phone or ignore it!

ihateipswich Thu 18-Jan-18 12:43:39

How do I best protect our identities on the internet

andywedge Thu 18-Jan-18 12:33:25

I discovered I had a bad credit score due to someone stealing my identity and going on a catalogue spending spree. I reported this to the police and was given a crime number which I then gave to the credit score people but still my credit score is affected. How can I fix this?