What are the biggest fraud risks? |
Written by 3K Admin |
Wednesday, 28 July 2010 23:48 |
Sarah Coles
Filed under: Fraud , Technology and Online So what are the biggest risks, and what can we do about it? The research, by the National Fraud Authority, calculated that we're most likely to be conned by online shopping and auction sites, followed by advance fee frauds (where you pay for a service in advance and never actually get anything in return).Other common frauds include boiler room sales tactics, which flog worthless shares to unwitting investors, and romance frauds, where scammers target dating sites to persuade people to part with cash during new long distance romances. It says the amount each person loses can range from £6 to a staggering £1 million. So what can you do to protect yourself? Internet shopping Online auctions Advance fee fraud As an extra precaution pay by paypal or credit card, which will offer provide another avenue for getting your money back in the event of a fraud. Boiler room sales Hanging up the telephone if you receive an 'out of the blue' call offering you shares Checking the FSA Register to see if the person selling shares is authorised to do so Calling the company back using the details on the FSA Register to verify their identity Reporting any company that cold calls you to sell shares to the FSA or the Police Romance frauds All the evidence highlights that this kind of fraud is growing daily, especially in tougher times, so we need to be on our guard. Because while the police can't seem to do anything to catch these fraudsters, we can at least stop them from catching us out. |
Last Updated on Thursday, 29 July 2010 00:03 |