User guide
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How scammers take advantage of uncertain times
Exceptional situations such as the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit have offered rich pickings for scammers.
When a topic dominates the news headlines and our daily lives, it can be hard to tell fact from fiction. This uncertainty is invaluable for scammers, who will try to take advantage of an issue’s high profile, our legitimate concerns and potentially mixed messages from genuine sources to entrap us in a vulnerable moment.
Coronavirus scams
The global COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect environment for fraudsters, due to the shortage of essential items and the need to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
City of London Police reported a huge increase in coronavirus-related scams from the onset of the outbreak. As of 14 April 2020, reports sent to Action Fraud Action FraudThe UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. revealed that coronavirus fraud resulted in total losses of almost £2 million, including 2,747 reports of phishing. Scams included:
- Essential coronavirus advice: emails and texts that purport to be from the World Health Organization (WHO) or the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ask you to click on a link to get important coronavirus advice. The websites look legitimate, but they ask for personal details before they’ll release any advice. Clicking on links may install malware MalwareShort for malicious software, such as viruses and ransomware. on your computer.
- Fake lockdown fines: these messages claim to be from the government and state you’ve been fined for stepping outside during lockdown. Scammers are now using this tactic by phone, too.
- HMRC ‘goodwill payments’: the Met police have warned about a message that states: ‘As part of the NHS promise to battle the COVID-19 virus, HMRC has issued a payment of £258 as a goodwill payment’. You’ll then be asked for your bank details to receive the (non-existent) payment.
- Conspiracy theories: messages full of doom-laden warnings, laced with links that could take you to phishing sites or install malware on your device.
- Fake face mask and hand sanitiser sales: criminals may try to sell you protective face masks, hand sanitiser and similar at hugely inflated prices. These products are unlikely to work properly and may not even materialise.
- WhatsApp request to forward your code: more of us used WhatsApp in lockdown, and sometimes for the first time. If a scammer discovers your phone number, they can request to register your WhatsApp account on a different phone. Doing so requires a verification code to be sent to your phone; scammers can try to persuade targets to forward them this code. This could give them full access to your WhatsApp messages, photos, videos and contacts.
- Doorstep scams: we’ve seen reports of a particularly unpleasant scam targeting older people, where criminals knock on doors and attempt to gain access – for example, by offering to take the home owner’s temperature. Residents can then be robbed.
The experts at Which? have been pulling out the stops to support you during the coronavirus crisis – whether you're seeking information on your flight cancellation rights, the best way to sanitise your house or how to steer clear of scams.
Visit our website for all our latest news and advice, plus our reviews of the best products and services to make lockdown as pleasant as possible.
How to avoid coronavirus scams
In addition to the advice on avoiding other scams, watch out for unsolicited correspondence supposedly from health bodies such as the NHS or the WHO. Report any scams you spot as this will help to stop them in future. A scammer sending coronavirus smishing SmishingPhishing via SMS (mobile text message). texts had been caught and subsequently jailed for 30 weeks.
Carefully scrutinise any claims circulating via social media; if in doubt, a fact-checking website may shed light. Full Fact and Channel 4 News FactCheck were set up to debunk fake news.
Visit our site for more on coronavirus scams.
During the coronavirus outbreak, many of us have been shopping online more often. While this can be a great way to get a good deal, we've seen unscrupulous online sellers trying to sell goods at inflated prices. This is known as price gouging, where people take essential in-demand items and hike up the prices. During COVID-19 these include cleaning products, hand sanitisers and thermometers.
We are campaigning to stop price gouging – we're calling on the government to introduce legislation to stop price gouging during times of emergency. Visit our site to find out more.
If you've seen evidence of price gouging, you can report it to us on our campaign page and we'll take these reports to the government.
Brexit scams
Scammers’ attention may have recently turned to coronavirus, but prior to that Brexit was many fraudsters’ favourite topic. Brexit scams may rear their heads again in months to come. Look out for:
- Bogus Brexit investments. Cold calls or emails tout investments that capitalise on or future-proof against the impact of Brexit. (See Pension and investment scams.)
- European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scams. These try to get you to pay to access state-provided healthcare in many European countries. EHICs are currently free, and it’s not yet been confirmed whether we will still have access to these in future. Don’t pay for one if you're approached about this.
- HMRC Brexit scams. These target companies that trade with the EU, who are (incorrectly) told they need to register for a ‘UK trader number’.