Worried about being scammed and falling a victim to fraudsters? Read our tips for staying safe.
Tips for staying safe online
- Be alert to email and phishing tactics
- Check the email address of the recipient before you do anything. Does it look official or scam?
- Check the link – does it look official (including a valid company name) or made-up?
- Type the website address into your browser, using incognito mode instead of clicking on the link in an email.
- Does the website have a security certificate – indicated by a padlock symbol in the navigation bar.
- Look for spelling or grammatical errors in the subject box.
Tips for staying safe offline
- Take your time. A common feature of a scam is the pressure to commit yourself very quickly.
- If you receive something that looks like a scam, it probably is! Throw it away and report it to Action Fraud, either online or over the phone 0300 123 2040.
- Join the Telephone and Mail Preference Services. This will only prevent unwanted calls from genuine companies but it will reduce the number of calls you get and make it easier to identify the “fake” calls.
- Establish the rule of thumb: ‘never provide personal information in a call that you did not initiate’
- Ensure that any charities you are donating to have a registered charity number
- Ensure that you never disclose their PIN to anyone
- Shred documents containing sensitive information
- Become a Friends Against Scams and make scams part of everyday conversation with family, friends and neighbours.