The top 5 scams in West Yorkshire and how to beat them

Almost 4,000 online scams were reported to West Yorkshire Police within the last year.

This makes it one of the most profitable areas in the country for the criminals who target their victims via the web.

Nationwide online scams are an ever-growing issue, with the five most common scams in the UK alone amounting to 130,202 cases nationally and 3,894 in West Yorkshire.

Communications company TalkTalk has worked with Action Fraud to identify the most common online scams.

1. Online Shopping and Auctions – 2,087 cases

Shopping and online auction fraud is where a product is either misrepresented online or is not delivered, having been bought through an internet auction site. Scammers will accept an electronic payment, but the goods will not arrive, and the sites are found to be bogus and untraceable.

TalkTalk scam prevention tip: “There are a number of things to look out for here. First of all, many fraudulent sites will use a domain name that references a well-known brand or product name, but aren’t the official site. In terms of the product itself, is the deal too good to be true? The chances are that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Look at reviews across a number of sources, such as Trustpilot, Feefo or Sitejabber, which aggregate customer reviews – this will mean you are not prone to fake reviews that may feature on their own site.”

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2. Computer Software Service Fraud – 1,342 cases

Computer Software Service Fraud consists of cold calls from bogus ‘Tech Support’ teams claiming the victim’s computer has a bug. The scammer will ask to remotely access the victim’s computer to fix it, at a charge, or simply ask for credit card information to ‘validate the software’. The caller will claim to have fixed a bug that didn’t exist while charging the victim a fee. Fraudsters often use the names of well-known companies to commit their crime as it makes their communication seem more legitimate.

TalkTalk scam prevention tip: “Most reputable firms will not ask for payment when calling you. When in doubt – hang up and call back on the customer service number provided on the company’s website.”

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3. Email/social media hacks – 245 cases.

Email or social media hacks are when a scammer gains unpermitted access to email or social media accounts. A common tactic is to contact a family member or friend and ask to lend money to an account that belongs to the scammer.

TalkTalk scam prevention tip: “The most important step to keep email or social media accounts secure, is to use strong passwords – and not the same password across all accounts.

“To create a strong password simply choose three random words. Numbers, symbols and combinations of upper and lower case can be used to increase the strength.”

4 Personal computer hacks – 169 cases.

A personal computer hack is where a scammer gains access to a home computer connected to the internet. This access often comes from phishing emails, directing users to enter personal information at a fake website. Once they have gained access they will look to access online banking or generally modify the computer in a way that makes it difficult for the owner to use.

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TalkTalk scam prevention tip: “Sadly, common sense alone won’t protect your computer from hackers. You can look out for tell-tale signs phishing emails with things as simple as poor grammar, but you will also need to ensure your computer is kept updated, a good anti-virus software is installed and you use the latest version of your web browser.”

5 Extortion – 51 cases

Extortion, in this instance, is when a scammer gains access to private content, such as photographs, and demands money to be paid immediately or it will be sent to family and friends or made public.

TalkTalk scam prevention tip: “The first step to avoid such a situation is not send anyone content you wouldn’t want to be shared further, even if you think you know the person really well. Otherwise, keep your computer secure with strong passwords and good anti-virus software.”