Posted on Tuesday 14th April 2020
People are being reminded to remain vigilant following a rise in the number of coronavirus-related scams to hit the county.
The latest warning issued by Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards service is calling on people to watch out for email, telephone and doorstep scams as criminals exploit the crisis.
Amongst the scams, are fake emails from HMRC, fake communication about school meals funding and supermarket delivery and gift card scams. They may seem genuine, but are designed to obtain personal information, infect computers or take people’s money.
Anyone receiving an email that seems suspicious in any way, should never click on links or attachments and never respond to unsolicited messages that ask for their personal or financial details.
People should also be weary of unsolicited phone calls asking for personal information. If this happens people should hang up, leave it for ten minutes and then call the person back.
Communities are also being urged to look out for signs of neighbours being targeted by doorstep criminals. While there are genuine groups of volunteers providing help during self-isolation, there have been reports of criminals preying on residents by cold-calling at their homes and offering to go to the shops for them. Again, people should be vigilant, ask to see ID and never hand over money or a payment card.
Gill Heath, Cabinet Member for Communities at Staffordshire County Council said:
“In times of crisis such as the Coronavirus outbreak, we often see the best of people, but unfortunately we do get to see the worst in people as well.
“Over the last few weeks we have seen a huge spike in cybercrime and fraud and the number of scams with criminals using a variety of tactics to gain our trust and get personal information and our money. It’s really vital that we stay vigilant and at the same time watch out for elderly relatives who are particularly vulnerable.
“We’re simply asking people to be vigilant, watch out for elderly relatives and to report any scams to our Information Governance Team or to Citizens Advice. We appreciate that many scams can appear genuine but If people are in any doubt at all they should ignore the offer, delete the email or hang up the phone if it’s a telephone call. People should always be wary about any unsolicited approach.”
Some common scams making the rounds include:
Online and email scams
- Email scams that trick people into opening malicious attachments, which put people at risk of identity theft with personal information, passwords, contacts and bank details at risk. Some of these emails have lured people to click on attachments by offering information about people in the local area who are affected by coronavirus.
- Fake online resources – such as false Coronavirus Maps which when clicked on infect your computer with malware.
Telephone scams
- As more people self-isolate at home there is an increasing risk that telephone scams will also rise, including criminals claiming to be your bank, mortgage lender or utility company.
Doorstep crime
- Criminals targeting older people on their doorstep and offering to do their shopping. Thieves take the money and do not return.
- Doorstep cleansing services that offer to clean drives and doorways to kill bacteria and help prevent the spread of the virus.
Refund scams
- Companies offering fake holiday refunds for individuals who have been forced to cancel their trips. People seeking refunds should also be wary of fake websites set up to claim holiday refunds.
Counterfeit goods
- Fake sanitisers, face masks and COVID-19 swabbing kits sold online and door-to-door. These products can often be dangerous and unsafe.
Donation scams
- There have been reports of thieves extorting money from consumers by claiming they are collecting donations for a COVID-19 ‘vaccine’.
People should report any scams to the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline: on 0808 223 1133 or at the website https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/