Don’t be duped by phone call scams

The Trading Standards team at Pembrokeshire County Council is advising people on how they can protect themselves from falling for phone call scams.

The team is highlighting a different sort of scam every week throughout July as part of National Scams Awareness Month.

Nigel Watts, Trading Standards Manager, said scam callers often already know your name either from information publicly available or maybe you have previously purchased something by post or online and have unknowingly agreed to accept further contact.

One Pembrokeshire resident recently received a phone call alleging to be Microsoft, stating her computer had been hacked and it would cost £800 to repair. She was told to log on to her computer, press various keys and then sit back.

The hacker then took over her computer. Her bank recognised it was a scam and refused to authorise the payment. The hacker persisted and even pulled up on her computer a Western Union form as an alternative means of payment, completing her personal details which they already had access to.

Fortunately no money was taken but the consumer had to cancel her bank cards and monitor her bank account. The hacker persisted to phone the consumer demanding payment. The incident caused her great distress, resulting in her destroying her computer in fear of further contact.

“Calls are not necessarily genuine just because a caller knows your name,” said Nigel.

“Scam callers may pretend to be from your bank alerting you to fraudulent activity with your bank account and the need to transfer your money straight away. There is a heightened sense of urgency. They may suggest you phone the number on the back of your bank card to legitimise their identity but unfortunately they stay on the line and you end up phoning the scammer and not your bank.”

Other scam callers may claim to be from the Council or HMRC and tell you that you are entitled to a rebate. They need your bank details to issue the refund. If you receive a similar call, put the phone down, wait a short while and contact the caller by finding the main phone number yourself, not what they give you.

They might pretend to be from Microsoft offering to fix your computer. They ask you to go online in order to carry out the repair. They ask for your password and are able to hack into your computer and access all personal information held on your computer.

Again, just because a caller knows your name and you do have a problem with your computer, doesn’t mean they are genuine, especially if you have not even reported the fault.

Scam callers also target small businesses. They may see an advert you have placed and call claiming to be the advertiser or even a court official, chasing fictitious outstanding payments.

A single response to one scam may result in you being inundated with many other different scams, as your details may be shared.

Top Tips

• Never give out personal or bank details over the phone.
• Don’t be pressurised to make a decision.
• If you suspect a scam call, tell them not to call again and hang up. If they continue, report it to the Telephone Preference Service (see details below).
• Consider a call blocking device to filter out unwanted calls.
• Register your land line and mobile phone numbers with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to opt out of receiving telesales calls from UK businesses. Contact tel. number 0345 070 0707 or register online at www.tpsonline.org.uk.
• If you are a victim or concerned about a relative, friend or someone you care for, you can report it to by phoning the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0345 4040506 (English line) or 0345 4040505 (Welsh line).