The Latest Frauds - Alert System From Kent Police

The ECRC works closely with local policing  to ensure that our members benefit from the free tools and services offered.

One valuable tool is the Kent Fraud Email Alert System (K'FAs), created by Stephen Kelly, the Fraud Prevent and Protect Officer for Kent Police. This system provides weekly alerts to inform the public and businesses about current scams and how to best protect themselves.

The K'FAs, reach hundreds and thousands, not just in Kent but in other areas up and down the country as we are all affected by similar offences. The ECRC publishes Stephen Kelly's weekly K'FAs for our members so you can stay informed and learn about the latest threats targeting businesses and the general public. For further information about fraud, visit Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.

Bogus Penalty Charge Text

If you receive text message like the one below, it is a SCAM. The text reads:

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'Penalty Charge Notice: Records show that you have an outstanding traffic ticket as of today. The deadline for parking tickets is [date], and if you fail to pay on time, you may be subject to further fines and interest, and in severe cases, prosecution, and your credit score may be affected. After reading this information, please enter your car registration number in the link (there is no charge for completing the information) to check and pay your parking fines.

[dodgy link]

Please pay immediately before enforcement to avoid licence suspension and further legal trouble, thanks again for your co-operation.'

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You will notice the message does not provide any vehicle details, location, time or date when the alleged offence was supposed to have occurred.

If you click on the link, you will be taken to a realistic looking website under the control of the criminals, where they will steal your financial data.

You can report this by forwarding to 7726.

If you think that you may have been a victim of any type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

For further information about Fraud, visit our website at Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.

You will also find valuable information from the Home Office at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams.

Quishing - How can I avoid becoming a victim?

This scam has been reported regularly over the past year and a new alert has just been issued by Action Fraud, warning about this fraud type.

In the last year, £3.5 million has been stolen nationally by criminals and it is on the increase.

Quishing is a form of phishing where a fraudulent QR code is scanned, designed to steal personal and financial information. The warning encourages people to stay vigilant and double check QR codes to see if they are malicious, or have been tampered with, before scanning the online or in public spaces. The most popular location for these has been car parks.

So, what can you do to avoid being a victim of quishing?

• QR codes used in pubs or restaurants are usually safe to scan.

• Scanning QR codes in open spaces (like stations and car parks) might pose a greater risk. Check for signs that codes may have been tampered with (usually by a sticker places over the legitimate QR code). If in doubt, do not use them: use a search engine to find the official website or app for the organisation you need to make a payment to.

• If you receive an email with a QR code in it, and you are asked to scan it, you should be cautious due to an increase in these types of quishing attacks.

• Finally, we recommend you use the QR-scanner that comes with your phone, rather than using an app downloaded via an app store.

If you think that you may have been a victim of any type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

For further information about Fraud, visit our website at Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.

You will also find valuable information from the Home Office at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams.

Ticket Fraud

Looking for last-minute tickets to this summer's top events? In 2024, over £9.7 million was lost to ticket fraud in the UK.

So, are you planning to buy tickets to go to this summer's hottest events?

Follow our tips to avoid ticket scams:

• Only buy tickets from official sources, direct from the venue's box office, the promoter, an official agent or a well-known and reputable ticket exchange site.

• Should you choose to buy tickets from an individual (for example on eBay or a social media platform), avoid paying via a bank transfer or virtual currency: never transfer the money directly into their bank account but use a secure payment site such as PayPal but never pay through the family and friends option.

• Paying for your tickets with credit card will offer increased protection over other payments methods, such as debit card, cash, or money transfer services. Avoid making payments through bank transfer or money transfer services, as the payment may not be recoverable.

• Check the contact details of the site you are buying the tickets from. There should be a landline phone number and a full postal address. Avoid using the site if there is only a PO box address and mobile phone number, as it could be difficult to contact customer services after you buy tickets. PO box addresses and mobile phone numbers are easy to change and difficult to trace.

• Before entering any payment details on a website, make sure the web address starts with https (the ‘s’ stands for secure). There should be a locked padlock icon in the browser’s address bar. Check if your ticket vendor is a @STARticketing member. Their members adhere to strict standards and offer an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution service.

If you think that you may have been a victim of any type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

For further information about Fraud, visit our website at Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.

You will also find valuable information from the Home Office at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams.

Fake Job Scams on Social Media

We are receiving reports in relation to fake job scams.

One resident on WhatsApp was looking for a job and was introduced to a criminal on WhatsApp claiming to own a care home agency. After talking about the job, the resident handed over £3,000 to pay for employment checks and was assured that if anything happened, they would get their money back. Unfortunately, no money was ever returned and there was no job or agency, it was a scam.

Personal information is extremely valuable to criminals. They use your details to impersonate you and apply for products and services such as bank accounts, loans, and credit cards. They may also target you asking for upfront fees.

Spot the signs:

• Unrealistic salary

• Job offers without interview

• Poor written advert

• Being asked for money or personal details

For further information about this type of scam go to Employment Fraud | Action Fraud.

If you think that you may have been a victim of any type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately, which you can do by calling 159 and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

For further information about Fraud, visit our website at Advice About Fraud | Kent Police.

You will also find valuable information from the Home Office at Stop! Think Fraud - How to stay safe from scams.

Courier Fraud

Criminals are still employing various methods from posing as Police Officers from multiple Kent Police Stations stating that they have arrested someone in possession of the victim’s bank card to requesting financial information or asking victims to withdraw cash for a courier to collect as evidence.

If you get any calls like this, STOP, it is a scam.

The Police will NEVER ask you for financial details on the phone or request to collect your card or cash or gold as part of an investigation.

Remember the ABC of Scam Awareness and never Assume or Believe a call is genuine and always Confirm.

If you get an unexpected call from someone claiming to be Police or any other organisation, then take their details and end the call. Then call back using a different phone if available. If another phone is not available, then wait 5 minutes and ring a family member or friend to ensure the line has been disconnected and then ring 101. Never call a number they have supplied and never ring 999 whilst still on the call with them. You must always disconnect the call first before ringing 101.

How can the ECRC support?

By joining the ECRC as a free member, your organisation will be supported in making the small changes that make the biggest difference when it comes to cyber resilience. Becoming a free member means you will receive the latest cyber resilience guidance via email, which will drip feed you ways in which you can improve your cyber resilience without costing any money.

The ECRC website also contains several links to helpful National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) resources, which are all free, up-to-date, and easy to use. Tools such as Exercise in a Box and the NCSC Cyber Action Plan are particularly useful in terms of identifying areas where you could improve your cybersecurity. They also have many informative guides that are sector specific, which will give you useful and detailed information.

If you would like more information about how the ECRC can help your organisation specifically, please book a chat with us today!

Reporting a live cyber-attack 24/7:

If you are a business, charity or other organisation which is currently suffering a live cyber-attack (in progress) please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 immediately. This service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Reporting a cyber-attack which is not ongoing:

Please report online to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. You can report cybercrime online at any time using the online reporting tool, which will guide you through simple questions to identify what has happened. Action Fraud advisors can also provide the help, support, and advice you need.

Alternatively, you can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (textphone 0300 123 2050).