Paul Hampson, CEL Solicitors’ CEO, recently appeared on Talk TV to discuss the rise in fraud and offer his tips to avoid being scammed. He was invited by Nick de Bois CBE, a presenter on Talk TV, who was recently targeted by scammers impersonating his bank.
Nick was already experiencing an issue with Barclays Bank when he was targeted in a bank impersonation scam. He received a call, purportedly from Barclays, offering him a new bank account. The bank account, called Barclays Premier Plus which offered a better interest rate, sounded very plausible. The scam took place over several days, with multiple calls and various eligibility checks, before Nick realised something was up. Luckily, Nick spotted the scam before he transferred his money into a “new account” but he was astounded by how sophisticated the scammers were.
Commenting on his experience, Nick de Bois, told Talk TV viewers: “It’s one of the lowest forms of crime you can do. Targeting people, whether its pensioners like me, or other people, and trying to steal their money… I think it’s disgusting”.
Fraud, which is now the number 1 crime affecting more people than any other offence, sees people from across the UK losing over £1 billion per year to scammers. However, according to the Crime Survey of England and Wales, it’s estimated that only 13% of cases are reported to Action Fraud or the police, which suggests the true scale of the problem is much worse.
Commenting on the threat fraud currently poses, Paul Hampson, a regular commentator on fraud and scams, said: “People from across the UK are haemorrhaging money with the total losses truly eyewatering. The government, banks and social media owners, where lots of scams originate, all need to recognise the scale of the threat and do better”.
Paul Hampson’s Top Tips for staying safe are:
- Keep your personal information safe
- Be wary of cold calls or unsolicited contact
- If you’re unsure – take a moment to evaluate the situation
- Never act under duress
- Always confide in someone you trust
- And above all, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is
