Here are the festive season scams that you need to watch out for - Martyn James

Here’s my guide on some of the biggest winter scams doing the rounds right now.

Parcel delivery messages (and other fake firm frauds)

The most effective scams are the ones that are so simple, you barely have time to think about what you are doing before you’ve fallen for them. At this time of year, one of the craftiest and most devastating frauds is the parcel delivery con.

We are all expecting parcels at this time of year. The scam works by playing on the fear that something has gone wrong with a delivery. You’ll get a message that says that a parcel delivery was attempted and failed, either by text, WhatsApp, email or even by phone. Click the link and you’ll be asked to put in some personal details. A variation on this con says that there’s postage to pay… at which point your bank details are required.

While parcel delivery firms do send you updates by various methods of communication, always use the official website to check delivery status – never click through to a site from a link.

Purchase scams 

The pressure to buy the perfect gift or a moment of madness in the sales can lead us to purchase items that are outright cons or are just plain rubbish.

Just because a retailer is advertising on a big search drive or through social media doesn’t mean it’s legitimate. It’s exceptionally easy to fake up a convincing online shop, but look for clues like firms that ask you to pay by bank transfer or through PayPal’s friends and family options.

These methods of payment should never be used unless you are sure you are sending money to someone you genuinely know. That’s because you send money this way, it’s almost impossible to get it returned.

Some purchase scams are from shops operating just on the right/wrong side of the law in other countries. So that iPhone you’ve just bought for £100 might actually be a photo of an iPhone or an empty box. Sure it’s a con, but it’s just ambiguous enough for the shop to get away with it where they are based. Ask your bank to claim the money back if this happens to you.

Fake relatives

Sometimes fraudsters are able to hijack people’s contacts or social media pages. Then using simple technology they can ‘spoof’ a real number so it looks like someone you know is calling you. The friends and family scam uses number spoofing to trick you in to transferring money to someone you know who says they are in need.

As with all messages and calls asking for money, ignore the original and use the ‘official’ contact details to speak to the person or business in question.

Push payment fraud

The most lucrative and devastating form of fraud of all. Push payment fraud is when the scammer convinces you they are from a bank, official organisation or even the police and tricks you in to transferring all of your money to a new account or handing over details of your passwords. Increasingly this is being achieved by sending fake ‘two stage authentication’ codes, to convince you that the fraudster is legitimately identifying you.

Ironically, the new rules around refunds (up to £85,000) for this type of fraud has emboldened fraudsters to try even harder. As soon as you think you’ve been tricked, call your bank or money transfer service and ask them to recall the money.

If you’ve been scammed…

Don’t forget, the quicker you act the better the chance you stand of getting your cash back. If you’ve transferred money to a fraudster, call your bank asap or dial 159 – a number run by the free Stop Scams UK service – that will connect you to your bank or a leading retailer.

Martyn James is a leading consumer rights campaigner, TV and radio broadcaster and journalist. Visit martynjamesexpert.co.uk