New frauds that prey on your desire to be a good citizen

When June Fearn was asked by the National Crime Agency to assist with its ‘investigation’, her selfless instinct was to agree.  ‘I thought I have to help,’ says June, 74, a retired head teacher.  ‘I was brought up to be polite, and helpful to the authorities who are there to protect us.’ But little did … Read more

Text that could cost you THOUSANDS: The fake Royal Mail message snaring victims across the UK

Emmeline Hartley is smart and tech-savvy. But last week the actress, 28, unwittingly became the face of Britain’s fraud epidemic. On March 21, she tweeted how she had been ‘scammed out of every penny’ in a sophisticated con involving a fake Royal Mail text and a ‘spoof’ call from Barclays. Her message has since been … Read more

The global Scamdemic: Fraud victims losing millions to fake online adverts

The devastating failure to stop the online fraud scourge is today laid bare.  A Money Mail investigation reveals how – despite years of worrying warnings – internet fraud has now hit record levels, driven by a surge in investment scams targeted at savers searching the web for better deals. Sophisticated ‘impersonation’ frauds have also doubled … Read more

FatFace paid £1.45m ransom to cyber hackers behind January attack

FatFace paid £1.45m ransom to cyber hackers who put customer and employee details at risk in attack triggered by a dodgy email FatFace told shoppers and staff last week their details had been hacked  At-risk information included names, addresses, bank details and NI numbers The attack took place on 17 January and used ransomware to … Read more

Bank transfer scam victims still fail to get their money back

Losses to bank transfer fraud rose 5 per cent last year to nearly £480million as criminals cashed in on the coronavirus pandemic, but victims continued to be left out of pocket more than half of the time. Cases of so-called authorised push payment scams rose 22 per cent to just under 150,000 in 2020, according … Read more

FatFace cyber-attack put employee bank and NI details at risk

A cyber-attack against the high street clothing retailer FatFace in January also put the bank details and National Insurance numbers of current and former employees at risk, This is Money can reveal. The chain came under fire from customers yesterday after it took two months to inform them personal details including their name, email and … Read more

FatFace customers’ details at risk after clothing chain hit by cyber criminals

FatFace customer details at risk as clothing chain is hit by ‘sophisticated criminal attack’ which leaves shoppers open to identity theft Customers were told it had discovered suspicious activity on 17 January It send an email out saying names and addresses may have been put at risk  It was sent to one shopper who bought … Read more

Investment scam victims raise questions over fake Lloyds and NatWest accounts

Victims of sophisticated investment scams have questioned how Britain’s biggest banks are allowing fraudsters to set up bank accounts to harvest tens of thousands of pounds by posing as representatives of legitimate financial firms. Clone scammers peddling fake investment products stole close to £213,700 a day from Britons in 2020, with victims losing £45,242 on … Read more

Census scam: Ignore cold calls saying you’re facing a fine

Scammers are reportedly cold-calling households claiming they have filled in their Census forms incorrectly and ‘fining’ them. The 2021 Census is a legitimate survey conducted every decade to count the number of people in England and Wales, along with other details. It is a legal requirement to fill out the Census for all households. The … Read more

Money mules: How the pandemic has lured more young adults in

Millions of pounds in criminal cash has been frozen over the last three years as banks attempt to clamp down on a surge in money laundering carried out by teenagers and young adults who are often unaware they are breaking the law. Figures from Britain’s biggest bank Lloyds revealed that more than three in five … Read more