{"id":5258,"date":"2024-02-28T16:53:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T16:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/?p=5258"},"modified":"2024-02-28T16:53:46","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T16:53:46","slug":"dont-be-scammed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/news\/dont-be-scammed\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Be Scammed!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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Did you know?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fraud accounts for almost 40% of all crime. In just one year, 1 in 17 adults in England and Wales were victims of fraud. That\u2019s nearly 3 million of us.<\/p>\n

1 in 5 businesses were also a victim of fraud over a 3 year period. In other words, fraud is rife and it can happen to anyone.<\/p>\n

Think you\u2019re immune from fraud?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fraudsters can use highly manipulative methods to get us when our defences are down. Nobody is immune from fraud. We can all be more alert to the risks, and we can all do more to protect ourselves.<\/p>\n

4 ways to frustrate a fraudster<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Q1. Do you stop to check who\u2019s really contacting you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fraudsters often call or message people, pretending to be from their bank, other well-known and trusted companies, or even someone they know. They can be very convincing, particularly if they\u2019ve already managed to get hold of some personal information, for example by looking on social media. Having earned their victim\u2019s trust, they often ask them to hand over confidential information, make a payment or give them access to their phone or computer.<\/p>\n

How to reduce your risk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Never take calls or messages like this at face value \u2013 always take time to stop, think and check if the caller or sender is who they say they are.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve received a suspicious call or message:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00b7  don\u2019t be rushed into a quick decision \u2013 think carefully before handing over money, personal details or access to your device<\/p>\n

\u00b7  if you have any doubts, hang up and do not call the number provided<\/p>\n

\u00b7  be aware that fraudsters can spoof phone numbers, so the number that appears on your caller ID may not be proof of who they are<\/p>\n

\u00b7  instead, check with the organisation directly using contact details you know are correct, such as those on a utility bill, official website, on the back of your card or by 159 for banks<\/p>\n

\u00b7  if you get a message from a family member asking you to send money, use known contact details to check if it\u2019s real<\/p>\n

Q2. Do you automatically trust offers and click on links?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHalf-price tickets to a sold-out gig!\u201d \u201cIncredible savings on a last-minute holiday \u2013 hurry!\u201d Fraudsters know most people love a bargain, so they use discounts, time pressure and FOMO (fear of missing out) to pressure them into paying out for non-existent deals. Or they urge people to click on links in phishing messages that can take them to a fake website, where the fraudster can steal cash and personal details, or infect the victim\u2019s device.<\/p>\n

How to reduce your risk<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you see a tempting offer:<\/p>\n

\u00b7  don\u2019t be rushed into a quick decision \u2013 always take time to stop, think and check if the message, offer or advert is genuine<\/p>\n

\u00b7  don\u2019t automatically click a link, particularly in unexpected messages<\/p>\n

\u00b7  if you\u2019re not 100% sure, don\u2019t use the link to click through \u2013 go direct to the organisation\u2019s website<\/p>\n

\u00b7  always stay on trusted websites and use the site\u2019s recommended payment methods<\/p>\n

\u00b7  avoid paying by bank transfer or virtual currency<\/p>\n

\u00b7  think carefully before you hand over any money or personal details<\/p>\n

Q3. Do you use the same password for different accounts?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lots of people use the same password for multiple accounts, such as email, bank account and social media accounts. Less to remember, right? But imagine if a fraudster gets hold of that password. Now they can access all of their victim\u2019s online accounts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How to reduce your risk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Choose a different password for each account. Too difficult to remember them all? You can keep track of passwords using a password manager<\/a>, or by using three random words<\/a> to make them more memorable. <\/p>\n

You should:<\/p>\n

\u00b7  never choose a password that features names, places and numbers that are personal to you<\/p>\n

\u00b7  choose a different password for each account that is strong and hard to guess but if you can\u2019t change them all at once, prioritise your email account<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Q4. Do you use 2-step verification?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if someone has chosen strong and unique passwords for their email and bank accounts, there\u2019s always a risk \u2013 however small \u2013 that a fraudster could get hold of them. If they do, there\u2019s nothing to stop them accessing those accounts to steal money and other personal details.<\/p>\n

How to reduce your risk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Setup 2-step verification<\/a> (2SV) on your most important accounts, such as email and social media. 2SV works by asking for more information to prove your identity when you\u2019re logging into an online account. It\u2019s one of the most effective ways to protect your online accounts from criminals.<\/p>\n

For more information, please visit: https:\/\/stopthinkfraud.campaign.gov.uk<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know? Fraud accounts for almost 40% of all crime. In just one year, 1 in 17 adults in England and Wales were victims of fraud. That\u2019s nearly 3 million of us. 1 in 5 businesses were also a victim of fraud over a 3 year period. In other words, fraud is rife and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5258"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5259,"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5258\/revisions\/5259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wreagreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}