Five Common Types Of Fraud

Fraud can be devastating. Countless people have been manipulated or tricked into handing over large sums of money, sometimes even their life savings, to criminals online pretending to be legitimate employees of their bank or building society.

In an online world, fraudsters have had to get creative when it comes to accessing your money, and here, we take a closer look at some of the main types of fraud that occurs in the Uk alone, preventing you from making a heart-breaking mistake.

Phishing

Arguably the most common form of fraud, phishing occurs when someone attempts to steal your personal information by sending out emails linking to insecure websites. These websites usually resemble official pages from your bank in order to confuse you. This means you are far more likely to enter personal information that will be exposed to fraudsters. On occasion, this happens over the phone, known as vishing, or through SMS texts, which is known as smishing.

Romance Fraud

Perhaps the most deceptive type of fraud on this list, romance fraud happens when you start to develop a close relationship with someone, of which you believe to be genuine, only to soon find they were simply interested in gaining access to your finances. Romance fraud usually takes place over an extended period of time, as the scam artist begins by requesting small amounts of money early on, before building up to larger sums of money later.

Holiday or Ticket Scams

Often mimicking the websites of well-known, trusted airlines or holiday companies, most holiday or ticket scams happen online. Criminals are able to set up fake websites that sell flights and accommodation for holidays in the UK or overseas that convince you to pay quickly and directly. This also happens for websites selling tickets for popular events, such as concerts, theatre and sporting events.

Investment Scams

This often involves someone unexpectedly calling your phone to inform you of a potential “investment opportunity”. Usually, they’ll start by telling you how it’s a limited opportunity you must take advantage of immediately, pressuring you into making rash decisions. Fraudsters are even known to use the address of legitimate businesses, to confuse you even further. However, once you’ve handed over your money, it’s almost certain that you’ll never hear from them again. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is.

Pension Scams

Pension scams begin with cold-calling. It’s likely you will be called by a fraudster who is claiming to be someone they are not and they will ask whether you’d like to release cash from your pension or access your retirement savings before you reach the age of 55. The government has banned cold-calling for pensions, so if you are contacted out of the blue, it’s almost certainly a scam.

Here at Lefevre Litigation, based in Aberdeen, our team of experienced solicitors are here to provide the legal representation required to fight your case. We specialise in a range of lawsuits including fraud, road traffic offences, football crimes and more. Get in touch today for more information.