Posts Tagged ‘legal experts’
Fraud victims targeted by bogus recovery experts
Legal and security experts are warning fraud victims to be alert for criminals claiming to be able to recover lost money.
People who have been cheated out of their savings are being approached by legal recovery companies promising to recover their money for a fee.
However, all too often the company is a front for the original fraudsters or another criminal who has been sold the victim’s details.
The Association of Chief Police Officers’ Working Group on Fraud discussed the crime and alerted forces to be aware of the threat.
Daniel Berke, head of fraud at law firm Lewis Hymanson Small, said;
“These are clever fraudsters, targeting innocent victims and conning them out of their last savings. Be wary of any firms that contact you directly claiming to be able to help, especially if they’re getting in touch before you have even contacted the police or your own legal expert.”
Jim Watson, managing director of Shred Easy, one of the UK’s largest confidential data destruction companies, said;
“You should avoid any company asking for cash to recover stolen monies. In order to stop fraudsters from getting hold of confidential information in the first place, you must always securely destroy confidential data such as bank statements, receipts and credit cards. Plus I would check the security of gadgets such as your computer/laptop, BlackBerry/iPhone and memory sticks. Try and make sure you create a password so only you have access to your private data.”
Official figures from the National Fraud Authority, which was set up in 2008, show that fraud costs the economy more than £30 billion a year.
Tips to avoid the scammers
Desperate job seekers are being targeted by employment scammers, say security and legal experts.
Last month saw the number of people placed in permanent jobs fall to the lowest levels since the start of the year. Similarly, the Government’s emergency budget, aimed at cutting the deficit, will soon result in the loss of approximately 600,000 public sector jobs.
Legal experts say criminals are preying on a growing number of people who have lost their jobs. The most popular fraudulent scheme at the moment is mystery shopper positions.
Neeta Laing, head of employment law at Lewis Hymanson Small, said;
“Criminal fraudsters are taking advantage of the difficult employment situation. Job hunters have recently been targeted by fake adverts in local papers. Scammers advertise in local papers, asking workers to provide personal details and pay to become a member. The moment there is any mention of money upfront, alarm bells should ring.
“To check if an advert is authentic, look out for a registered website, Google the business, examine registered trademarks, call up the business to get more information and see if its legitimate.
Neeta continues;
“These opportunists are committing fraud. Many of these false companies are fronts for criminality, often involved in money laundering or identity theft and aimed at stealing money from bank accounts.”
Jim Watson, managing director of Shred Easy and a security expert, said;
“By registering for these false adverts you will be unwittingly giving criminals your bank account details, date of birth and email address. That means a canny criminal could get a passport in your name, open a bank account, take out loans and use your address. Its paramount to check out the authenticity of these adverts in local papers.”
Jim’s five top tips to spot a scam:
1) Use a search engine to research the company and look for reported scams
2) Beware of job adverts that ask to pay money
3) Never give your bank account details before securing a job
4) Be wary of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and generic email addresses in ads.
5) Make sure the company has a registered office rather than just a PO box number