Watch out Scammers about

Many of us are already aware of the dangers of scam.

But you may know somebody who is perhaps less alert to the dangers. And the scammers are getting smarter.

We used to be able to recognise scam emails because of their poor English.

But now scammers often try to trick you to visit a website which is a very convincing imitation of a bank or utility company’s website.

They may come by email or text message, by post or telephone, or a pop-up window while you’re browsing the internet, or a cold caller at the door.

It might be an unexpected message, an offer that seems too good to be true, or the promise of a refund.

It could also be a request to confirm your logon credentials, or an offer to fix a computer problem that you didn’t know you had.

Precautions include:

Don’t send off any money.
Never reply.
Don’t download or open any attachments.
Never click on links: type the address of your bank or other supplier into the address field of your browser.
Check phone numbers against published details for an organisation.
Don’t allow anyone remote access to your computer, unless you initiated the support call to a number you know to be trustworthy.
Reputable companies such as Microsoft do not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer!

recent warnings include fake:

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Reprinted, with minor amendments, from an article in the October 2018 issue of Compton & Shawford Parish Magazine

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