How to spot online fraud: Humberside Police crack down on scammers ahead of Christmas
Interview with ITV News Calendar's Gaynor Barnes
'Step into Christmas with caution', that's the warning from Humberside Police this festive season.
As part of Operation Galaxy, the force are warning people to be cautious when shopping in the festive period and telling people about some of the best ways to avoid potential cons and scams.
Spending soars in November and December as we hit the shops looking for the perfect presents for our nearest and dearest.
And this year the restrictions in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and keep us all safe, mean even more of us are doing the bulk of our shopping online.
However, it’s not just a busy time for us shoppers. It’s also the peak season for fraudsters, who exploit the fact that you’re distracted, busy and looking to make your money go as far as possible.
Luckily, Humberside Police have outlined a few simple things you can do to help keep yourself from becoming vulnerable to online scams:
Don’t pay for anything by transferring money directly to people you don’t know even if – in fact, especially if – it’s an amazing deal or you just can’t find it anywhere else. If it turns out to be a scam, it’s unlikely the bank will be able to recover or refund your money. The safest way to pay for anything is by credit card.
Make sure the site you’re visiting is authentic. The easiest way to do this is to ensure that the address is spelled correctly. Fraudsters can set up convincing websites with very similar spelling to the authentic one.
Ensure the payment pages are secure by checking the address starts with https. The s stands for secure. There should also be a closed padlock in the address bar.
Log out of your account when you’ve finished paying. Just closing the window doesn’t do this.
Found that must have gift for a fraction of the price? The likelihood is that it’s a fake. It may even be dangerous and the quality certainly won’t be as good as the real thing.\
Beware the free or low cost trial – you could be signing up for large monthly direct debits that are difficult to cancel.
If you’re booking a festive getaway do some research before you book. Look for independent reviews and make sure the agent is genuine by looking for the ABTA or ATOL number.
Always buy tickets for gigs, concerts and events from official sources otherwise you could end up shelling out a fortune for fake or non-existent tickets.
Beware of unexpected emails, texts or posts urging you to click a link or attachment – if you’re not sure, just delete it.
If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, police advise you to contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.