Christmas is nearly here, and everyone is full of peace and joy. Oh well, maybe not.
One thing for sure is that the scams are on the increase. There are many people out there who give advice on how not to get caught, but we still see news everyday on the BBC and elsewhere of people being relieved of thousands of their pounds.
We like Atomic Shrimp, and commend you to his site on YouTube. Here is a really good recent video about what to look out for in e-mails:
We wanted to say a few words too.
Scams can take many forms, not just e-mails. We get scam phone calls, text messages and even printed snail mail. One of the reasons we left all social media was the scams (and the advertising). We set up accounts on Whatsapp the other day, told no-one and yet we’re still getting daily spam and scams. It’s non-stop.
We suggest that you start with the assumpton that anything you get is spam or a scam, and then ask yourself questions about it. If you still are not 100% certain at the end that it’s genuine, then forget it.
If it is a genuine communication from eg your bank, and you ignore it, then they will try again. They will understand. If it’s not something you were expecting, or might reasonably expect, be suspicious.
I get many scams ‘from’ Sky, Amazon Prime, NatWest bank and more. I know they are scams because I use none of these companies. Of course, they are not from those genuine companies at all. And no, I have never won a lottery, no-one has millions to send to me. These scammers rely on your greed. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
If my bank wants to send me something, they warn me beforehand with a message to my phone. It helps. Others do the same.