Knowledge Check
What would be an example of an online scam?
Distraction Burglary
A distraction burglary is a type of doorstep scam as the victim is kept at their front door whilst the criminals enter the house from the rear.
Tech Support
Tech support scams typically come from call centres so this would be considered a telephone scam.
Romance Fraud
Romance fraud usually begins on social media such as Facebook, where the criminals will use fake accounts to contact potential victims, often using AI-generated photos or fake live video calls to appear real, eventually engaging in what seems like a romantic relationship. But of course the end goal for the criminal is to steal that victims money through lies and coercion.
Lottery/Prize Draw
Lottery and Prize Draw scams are typically sent in mass mailings to UK consumers. You may have well seen one of these come through your own letterbox.
What could be the signs of a postal scam?
The letter has a sense of urgency for a response.
The letter will usually have a sense of urgency, for example that if you do not reply in a certain number of days you will lose your winnings. This is done to put pressure on the victim to make them make a rash decision.
The letter does not include the name of the recipient.
Postal scams typically include the name of the victim as they attempt to make the letter personal. Of course the letters are not personal as the criminals will use what's called a "mail merge" to mass produce the letters whilst still including the potential victim's name.
The letter looks unprofessional
Postal scams typically look professional and will sometimes even include a director's name and signature.
If you answered the door to a doorstep criminal, how would they act to you?
Helpful, Friendly, Charming
A doorstep criminal typically start off appearing legitimate to gain a victim's trust. Once whatever "work" has been done then the criminal will put pressure on the victim through threats and intimidation.
Persuasive, Intimidating, Aggressive
This is how the criminal will act after gaining the victims trust. In the initial meeting they will typically come across helpful and charming. This is why it's always best to leave that door shut when you don't recognise who is knocking.
You get a phone call from a family member who sounds upset and asks you to send money urgently. The voice sounds exactly like them. What should you do?
Send the money, you recognise their voice so it must be them
Be careful! Criminals can use AI to clone a person's voice from just a few seconds of audio, so the voice alone cannot prove who is calling, no matter how real it sounds. The safe step is to hang up and call the person back on the number you already have for them.
Hang up, then call them back on the number you already have for them
Correct! Criminals can now use AI to clone a person's voice from just a few seconds of audio, for example from a video posted online. A familiar voice is no longer proof of who is calling. Hanging up and calling back on a number you already trust takes less than a minute and defeats this scam completely.
Ask the caller a question and trust them if the voice still sounds right
Be careful! Criminals can use AI to clone a person's voice from just a few seconds of audio, so the voice alone cannot prove who is calling, no matter how real it sounds. The safe step is to hang up and call the person back on the number you already have for them.