Scam and Fraud Watch Blog
Featuring the Latest Scams and Frauds
EasyJet
Action Fraud has been made aware by the National Cyber Security Centre of the cyber breach affecting EasyJet customers. We’re currently monitoring our system for EasyJet related reports to see if there has been a significant increase.
At this time we’re advising the public that if they think they’ve been a victim of fraud as a result of a data breach, to report it Action Fraud via the online reporting tool or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Here is what to do if you think you have been affected:
- Phishing – Criminals may use your personal details to target you with convincing emails, texts and calls. Be suspicious of unsolicited requests for your personal or financial details. If you receive an email which you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): [email protected].
- Financial details –If your financial data was compromised, be vigilant against any unusual activity in your bank accounts or suspicious phone calls and emails asking for further information. If you notice any unauthorised transactions, notify your bank or card company.
- Passwords –Customers should ensure their passwords are secure. If you have been affected, you may want to consider changing passwords for key accounts such as banking. See Cyber Aware’s adviceon creating a good password that you can remember, or read the NCSC’s blog post for help on using a password manager.
- Report – If you think you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, report it to us.
Unexpected Deliveries of Packages by Couriers
We are warning residents to stay vigilant following an increase in reports of people receiving unexpected packages from couriers.
There have been a number of victims in Hertfordshire, and more recently in Bishop’s Stortford, where victims have received deliveries they had not ordered. A short while later a woman wearing a DPD courier uniform has arrived to collect the packages, claiming they had been delivered to the wrong address. In the reported instances the packages have contained either iPhones or laptops and have been despatched by AO.
Detective Chief Inspector Sam Khanna, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious Fraud and Cyber Unit said: “We want all residents to be aware of this potential fraud. If goods are delivered that you have not ordered and are marked with your address you should inform the company that sent it and wait for them to send a courier. Always check with them which courier company is making the collection and when they will arrive. If someone knocks on the door claiming to have come to pick it up after it was delivered by mistake, think twice about handing it over. Are they from the same company that just delivered it? Can you see a company vehicle? Just because they are in a uniform does not mean they are from the company as they claim. If someone tries to deliver a parcel you’ve not ordered, refuse to accept it so that it goes back to the depot or the sender. If you have handed a parcel over please report it to Action Fraud. If someone is at your door claiming to have come to pick up a parcel you never ordered ring 999.”
Hertfordshire Constabulary offers the following crime prevention advice:
If possible, don’t accept or sign for parcels you haven’t ordered. If a parcel you have received is not something you have ordered, you should not hand the parcel over to someone calling at your door, unless you have made a prior arrangement for its collection and you are able to check the identity of the caller. If you realise a parcel you have received is something you have not ordered, you should immediately contact the company to arrange for its collection. Remember to ask how to ensure the identity of the person collecting it.
If you have already handed over a package in the circumstances described above, contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via actionfraud.police.uk.
Click here for Staying Safe from Courier Fraud
Scam and Fraud Advice
Several organisations offer advice as to how one might recognise a scam and an attempt to defraud you of money and goods. The following links point to organisations where this advice will be found.
- Free Expert Advice from Get Safe OnLine
- Help to Avoid Scams Targeting your Money from Age Uk
- To report Fraud, Scams and Cyber Crime, contact Action Fraud