N T S   S C A M   A L E R T 10th December 2018 NTS Scams Team, updating you on the world of scams in the UK. Online scams Consumers warned to stay away from counterfeit goods this Christmas 3rd December 2018 Christmas shoppers have been urged to be vigilant about purchasing counterfeit goods this season, with experts warning they could be funding human trafficking, drug smuggling and terrorism.According to data from KPMG, over the past two years, 39 cases involving more than £116 million of counterfeit and pirated goods have been prosecuted in the UK. more Asda warn customers about fake Facebook page ‘giving away’ £85 vouchers 3rd December 2018 A post made on a Facebook page called ‘Asda Stores’ is encouraging users to like, share and comment “thanks” with the chance of winning the vouchers, which would surely help out many families when it comes to the big festive shop. more Don’t get caught out by email delivery parcel scam this Christmas warns Highland Council Trading Standards 3rd December 2018 Highland Council Trading Standards have recently become aware of a new phishing e-mail (or text) scam. In this new twist, criminals send an email (or text) to unsuspecting recipients posing as a well-known delivery parcel services. more Telephone scams Police intervene as elderly man loses hundreds in iTunes scam 30th November 2018 Alerts have been issued by police and HM Revenue and Customs this week amid reports of phone scam calls claiming to be from HMRC and asking them to settle bills using Goggle or iTunes vouchers. more Number of people finding out about pension scams surges after awareness drive 4th December 2018 There has been a five-fold increase in visits to a website from people seeking information about pension scams, following the launch of a joint campaign by regulators. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s ScamSmart website, which allows people to check pension opportunities they have been offered and find out more about avoiding scams, is being visited every 27 seconds typically. more Email scams Insurer warns parents to be on the lookout for cyber criminals targeting school fees 30th November 2018 Ecclesiastical Insurance is warning parents to be extra vigilant over the coming months as cyber criminals target parents paying school fees. In December 2017 cyber criminals targeted parents with a series of fake emails claiming to be from schools. Criminals used phishing attacks to gain access to the school’s emails and contact lists to create fake emails targeting parents needing to pay school fees. more TSB funds fraud police after ‘phishing’ attacks 4th December 2018 TSB is to help fund fraud detectives because it says there are not enough officers to investigate criminals. The bank will give £200,000 to the Met which will be used by police in three south-east London boroughs: Lewisham, Bexley and Greenwich. more Friends Against Scams The members of the Dudley Trading Standards celebrating the second FAS anniversary. Friends Against Scams (FAS) turned two in November, the team celebrated the anniversary on social media. Local authorities shared their photos supporting the initiative on Twitter. FAS has had a fantastic two years with thousands of new Friends signed up – over 117,000 this year alone. Hattie Deacon, Project Assistant from the National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team presenting Councillor Cathryn Bayton from Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) with her SCAMbassador certificate  Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) held a conference called ‘Shine a Light – The Hidden Crime of Financial Abuse’ on 26th November. It highlighted the scale and extent of financial abuse with speeches from victims, practitioners, witnesses and financial institutions.Hattie Deacon from the NTS Scams Team attended the event and talked about the Friends Against Scams initiative. To subscribe to the NTS Scam Alert follow this link Subscribe Twitter: @NTSscamsteam @tsecrime National Trading Standards Follow us on Twitter Copyright © 2016  NTS Scams Team, All rights reserved. NTS Scam Alert