Latest Scam Alerts from Which?

The scams you need to know about this month, including fake Royal Mail texts and dodgy celebrity endorsements

Copycat BBC website

A scam website impersonating the BBC
A scam website impersonating the BBC

This dodgy article uses BBC branding. It claims the TV presenter Richard Hammond is being sued by the Bank of England.

The fake eye-catching headline is used to draw readers in, before targeting them with adverts for dodgy cryptocurrency firms.

If you click on a link on the page you’ll be asked for your personal information. You’ll then be contacted by fraudsters attempting to lure you into an investment scam.

Genuine providers of financial services will be listed in the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) register.

Scam websites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre.

21 February

Smeg kettle scam ad

Smeg kettle scam ad
Smeg kettle scam ad

This fraudulent advert offers a Smeg kettle worth around £130 for just £3 from Lidl. It claims that you can receive the product by answering a few questions.

The advert will most likely lead to a dodgy phishing site where fraudsters will try to obtain your personal information.

To report a scam advert on Facebook, select the three dots on the top right corner and press ‘report ad.’

20 February

Europol scam email

A scam impersonating Europol
A scam impersonating Europol

A dodgy email impersonating Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, claims the recipient is ‘subject to a judicial investigation.’

It includes a downloadable ‘court letter’. If you click to download the attachment, malware may be downloaded onto your device.

You can forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk to report them.