The following are a number of mails we have recently received via Community Messages, all about Fraud:

 • Offenders will ring their victims claiming to be from the fraud department of the victims bank and tell them that there account has been compromised. The victim is then persuaded to use internet banking to transfer their money into ‘clean’ bank account under the control of the fraudster from which it can quickly be transferred overseas through a series of accounts or withdrawn in cash in the UK.
• If you believe your account is being used as a ‘mule’, for example if you have had unsolicited credits and are now being asked to move the money to a third account, you should contact your bank immediately and ask them to arrange return of the money rather than doing it yourself
• Pension Fraud continues to be a real issue nationally whereby boiler rooms are redirecting their efforts to target victims who have accumulated large pension pots and persuade them to transfer funds to new investments which in fact don’t exist. What is particularly cruel about this kind of fraud is that the victim becomes liabl
• Offenders will ring their victims claiming to be from the fraud department of the victims bank and tell them that there account has been compromised. The victim is then persuaded to use internet banking to transfer their money into ‘clean’ bank account under the control of the fraudster from which it can quickly be transferred overseas through a series of accounts or withdrawn in cash in the UK.
• If you believe your account is being used as a ‘mule’, for example if you have had unsolicited credits and are now being asked to move the money to a third account, you should contact your bank immediately and ask them to arrange return of the money rather than doing it yourself
• Pension Fraud continues to be a real issue nationally whereby boiler rooms are redirecting their efforts to target victims who have accumulated large pension pots and persuade them to transfer funds to new investments which in fact don’t exist. What is particularly cruel about this kind of fraud is that the victim becomes liable for tax on any money withdrawn from a pension pot before they reach the age of 55, even if all the money has been lost to a fraudster.
• More than ever before, fraudsters are returning to the same victim again and again. This is true both for victims who know they have been scammed, who are often offered a fresh investment to recover the money lost during a previous fraud; and unknowing victims whose identity has been compromised and will be used to take out loans, credit cards and other financial products until their credit rating can’t take any more.
These frauds can be prevented – check out the Action Fraud website at www.actionfraud.police.uk
Anyone who suspects their details have been compromised should register with a credit reference agency in order to get updates on any financial product applications made in their name and to take control of their credit ratings.

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The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau’s (NFIB) Proactive Intelligence Team is warning people about a new variation of courier fraud involving Foreign Exchange Bureaus. As with traditional types of courier fraud, the victim receives a phone call and is told that they are speaking to a police officer, and that the police want them to assist in an investigation.
The alleged police officer provides them with a phone number and asks them to call back so that the victim can verify their identity, or will direct the victim to contact their bank. The victim will physically put the phone down, but the fraudster will actually stay on the line – keeping it open. When the victim phones back they are still speaking to the fraudster who tells the victim that they are at risk of being defrauded and in order to stop this they need their assistance.
Action Fraud has previously warned about a variation of courier where the victim is asked to buy an expensive item such as a watch or a designer coat. Fraudsters are now evolving their tactics by directing victims to visit Foreign Exchange Bureaus and withdraw foreign currency.
A convicted courier fraudster, interviewed by City of London Police detectives, said: “The banks are catching on to this now. Whenever an elderly person comes into the bank to withdraw cash saying that they’ve been a victim of fraud they get suspicious. What we do now is tell the victims to draw the cash out from a foreign exchange bureau in Euros. They don’t ask them any questions”. The fraudsters will then arrange for the cash to be collected by taxi or courier service.
Action Fraud has also received reports where suspects, posing as police officers or bank staff, tell victims to move their money to a ‘safe’ account that has been created in their name to stop ‘further’ funds being stolen. The fraudster also said: “Courier fraud gangs are getting squeezed out of London. What they do now is go to hotels in cities like Manchester and Bristol and stay there for a couple of weeks. They work out of the hotels targeting victims using details from the local telephone and online directories”.

Protect yourself
 A genuine police officer would never contact you in this way.
 Banks and the police would never ask someone to aid an investigation by withdrawing or transferring money.
 If you receive one of these calls, end it immediately.
 If you have handed over any bank account details to the fraudster, call your bank and cancel your cards immediately.
 If you want to call your bank, then do it from another telephone. If you don’t have another telephone to use, call someone you know first to make sure the telephone line is free.

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The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau’s (NFIB) Proactive Intelligence Team is warning people of a new approach being used by fraudsters to carry out vishing scams. Fraudsters have been phoning victims telling them that they have been placed in the wrong council tax bracket for a number of years and are entitled to a rebate. They normally say that this rebate should be worth about £7,000. Since mid July 2015, Action Fraud has received 16 reports.
Once the victim is convinced, the fraudster tells them that in order to receive the rebate they will need to pay an administration fee in advance. The payment they ask for varies between £60–£350. The victim provides the details and makes the payment, but then is no longer able to make contact with the person they spoke to on the phone. When they phone their council about the rebate and the fact that they are in the wrong tax bracket, the council will confirm that they know nothing about it and that they have been contacted by fraudsters.
The fraudsters have mainly been targeting both male and female victims who are aged 60 and over and live in the Sussex area, but it is likely that the fraudsters will also start to target victims in other areas. Head of Action Fraud, Pauline Smith said: “Fraudsters are relentless and will work tirelessly to find new ways to convince people to part with their money. These criminals make several calls and will be particularly convincing and provide good reason for why the person should make an immediate payment. We urge people to be vigilant and never respond to these callers who are simply trying to scam you”.

How to protect yourself:
 Never respond to unsolicited phone calls.
 Your local council won’t ever phone out-of-the-blue to discuss a council tax rebate. If you receive a call of this nature, put the phone down straight away.
 No legitimate organisation will ask you to pay an advanced fee in order to receive money, so never give them your card details.
 If you think you have been a victim of fraud, hang up the phone and wait five minutes to clear the line as fraudsters sometimes keep the line open. Then call your bank or card issuer to report the fraud. Where it is possible use a different phone line to make the phone call.

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The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau’s (NFIB) Proactive Intelligence Team is warning people of a new scam dubbed “diamond buy-back courier fraud”. Information gathered by the intelligence team suggests that boiler rooms operating from overseas (specifically in Thailand) are targeting existing investors of diamonds from ‘victim sucker lists’ circulated by fraudsters internationally.
Existing clients who have purchased genuine but lesser value diamonds are contacted by fraudsters who ask if they would like to increase the value of their investment, as the return on their current stock has been so good. They are encouraged to purchase more diamonds and invest further – buying either overpriced or non-existent diamonds.
In this new type of scam, the victim is contacted and informed that the value of diamond(s) they have physically purchased have significantly increased due to the rarity and demand. They are then convinced that in order to revalue the diamond(s) they will need to be physically returned to be assessed by a fake “valuation team”. Victims are then offered a free of charge, no hassle return service to undertake the valuation process. Intelligence suggests the fraudsters use UPS (United Postal Service) to collect the diamond(s). The fraudsters have no intention of returning the diamonds.
Protect yourself against investment fraud
 If you’re considering any type of investment, always remember: If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. High returns can only be achieved with high risk.
 If you get a call out of the blue, be wary. If in doubt, don’t be polite, just hang up.
 Take the time to seek independent legal or financial advice before making a decision.
 Always verify the credentials of the company you’re dealing with. Check for known fraudulent organisations with the FCA.

Continue to Part 2