Reports of frauds, deceptions and scams keep appearing, weekly even daily, on
major news channels and newspapers. Some of these frauds seem just too big and remote to be of immediate, direct relevance to our daily lives. But, we will eventually pay for the consequences and damages, in taxes, costs of goods and services, regulations, copy-cats etc.

I hope we can collect, in one thread, frauds and scams, reported or heard. We must become more aware and more educated to guard against frauds and scams
which impact upon the health, well being, and wealth of ourselves and our families.

RogerD, perhaps insiders sold details of customer names, address and card numbers.
Brings to mind the case in June 2005 ...

""Call center staff 'sold ID data'

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- London police were investigating a newspaper claim on Thursday that confidential details of British bank accounts are being sold by criminals from Indian call centers.

The Sun said it had bought bank details of 1,000 Britons for just 3 ($5.50) each from a computer expert in Delhi who said he had obtained the information from contacts working in call centers.

...

The paper said its reporter had obtained addresses, passwords, phone numbers and details of credit cards, passports and driving licenses which could be used to raid unsuspecting victim's accounts.

...

The Sun said the institutions targeted included many of Britain's top banks such as HSBC, Barclays, and Lloyds TSB. It added the call center worker claimed he could provide 200,000 account details a month -- including those of U.S. citizens.

..."

:-(((

Was also report by Reuters and CNN at the time ...

IMO, UK call centers may or may not be more secure but at least UK laws can be applied ...

axdpc- one of the reasons that I have reduced my card limit and mainly deal in cash now. Need a bigger mattress :))

BBC's Watchdog programs are worth watching ...

BBC Watchdog

More BCA complaints and advice

COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE BCA BOOK CLUB

Thirteen held in bank fraud probe

"Thirteen people have been arrested in raids by police investigating a multi-million pound bank fraud.

The inquiry concerns a gang suspected of opening accounts in false names using counterfeit documents.

A bank employee is among the people being held after officers executed search warrants at addresses in west London, Bradford and Slough.

The City of London Police's Economic Crime Department said it is believed in the region of 3m was stolen.
..."

The secret agent

Whistleblower is broadcast on BBC One, Tuesday 21 March, 2100 GMT.

"Lying to customers, faked signatures, false passports and dodgy deals with developers. An undercover investigation reveals the secret world of estate agents' dirty tricks.
...
During the investigation I saw the depths to which some agents will sink to get a deal - not only offering a house and a mortgage, but also a fake British passport.
...
They openly discuss potential buyers' budgets so they can squeeze as much money out of them as possible. Some buyers have no idea that the Foxtons agents showing them around properties already know exactly what they can afford.
...
In another Foxtons office, lettings staff jump up and down in delight after they successfully fake a signature on an absent landlord's paperwork.
...
..."

Bullie never did any of that :-)

:-)

Wonder how widespread are those practices. These are just more real life examples that one should not judge others by their wealth, money, looks, smooth talks or smart looking dresses/suits!

Subject: E-alert from DERBYSHIRE BUSINESS AGAINST CRIME - Parcel Delivery
Scam - Message No. 97

Derbyshire Police would like to circulate the following warning, received
through a number of reliable sources. Please feel free to circulate this
information to any contacts, business or private.


ICSTIS (premium rate services regulator) have receive a number of reports
from indivudals regarding PDS missed deliveries, and you are offered the
following advice.

If you receive a card through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel
Delivery Service) saying that they have a parcel awaiting delivery
instructions and can you contact them on 0906 6611911

DO NOT call the number as this is a mail scam originating from Belize

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will
already have been billed =A315 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact
Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655
or ICTIS at http://www.icstis.org.uk or your
local trading standards office.

Further information available at
http://www.icstis.org.uk/pdfs_news/warningnotice.pdf

This is a genuine scam and this is currently under investigation by ICSTIS.

ICTIS have the following information about this number.

This is a card posted through your letter box from PDS Parcel Delivery
suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and to call the premium
rate number in question. This service costs =A31.50 per minute.

Got a call yesterday from my Bank ref some unusual purchases
in Norway. I've never been to Norway.
Mindfull of the post by 'RogerD' further up this thread,
I made sure I didn't give them any information on my card in case
I was being scammed, and checked with my Bank.

Turns out it was genuine, and someone had cloned my card. I don't
use ATM's and so it looks like it may be a garage. Talked to the lovely
lady behind the counter at the bank, and it turns out that they've
had another 5 instances this week already. What we all seem
to have in common is that we all use our local Shell garage.

What some are doing, apparently, is using the cards in the UK to make
small purchases at places such as M&S and taking out 50 cashback
each time. This is siphoning hundreds of 's a day out of customers'
accounts before they get to see a statement and question it.

So if any of you have online accounts or access to an ATM for frequent
statement checking, I would suggest that you check regularly rather than
wait for your monthly statement.

Because they used mine in Norway, the Bank picked it up immediately and
stopped the card after 2 transactions, so I was lucky.
Will get all the money back within 2 weeks, but am now without a card
for a few days.
So check your accounts regularly and don't get caught out. It will take several
weeks to get your money back and this may be a problem to you if they
clean out your account before you wise up.

Melnibone, Have you seen this news item regarding Shell stations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4980190.stm

Thanks, cronky.

If they shut down chip and pin at the weekend, and my cloned card
was used for the first time yesterday, then it looks like these guys
have amassed a stash of cloned cards that can be used at any
time in the future.

Looks like a lot more folk are going to get a nasty surprise over the
weeks ahead.

Yet another Spane-based company urgently needing my bank details to give me a big prize which I didn't even know I entered ... These companies are giving the Spanish people a bad name they do not deserve :-( The people involved are probably not Spanish.

UK bank details sold in Nigeria

"Bank account details belonging to thousands of Britons are being sold in West Africa for less than 20 each, the BBC's Real Story programme has found.

It discovered that fraudsters in Nigeria were able to find internet banking data stored on recycled PCs sent from the UK to Africa.

The information can be found on a PC's hard disk, which is easy to access if the drive is not wiped before sending.

...


"It is essential that companies have appropriate procedures in place to ensure that personal records on computer hard drives are rendered unrecoverable when they dispose of computer equipment," said Assistant Commissioner Phil Jones.

"Under the Data Protection Act companies have a duty to store personal information securely and delete it when it is no longer required."

Real Story's investigation into the risk of identity theft from old PCs will be broadcast on BBC 1 at 19:30 on Monday, 14 August.

axdpc - do you live in spain?

goforit, nope. Not yet. Why?

Welcome to the thread :-)

"The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous." - Niccolo Machiavelli

We should be less trusting and less willing to give unconditional charities to everyone.

axdpc - its just this comment you came out with

These companies are giving the Spanish people a bad name they do not deserve.

Seems a pretty corrupt place from what I see, all nationalities seem to be here and lots of people getting ripped of, particularly in the property department. Lots of vice, drugs etc. They arrested about 20 local planning officers afew months back.

Bit of an eyeopener for a country boy from Devon but I'm surviving!

goforit, glad to hear you are surviving :-) Why not post some more of the local frauds and scams? I tend to get too serious with my off-trading discussions, so why not tell us about some local interest - sites, customs, restaurents :-)

"These companies are giving the Spanish people a bad name they do not deserve."
Agree. IMO, decent, innocent people are often used as cover for the otherwise.

Perhaps you could suggest to Greystone to organised a Spanish get together for the expatriates?

Take the quiz. Are you a scambuster or will you be scam-busted?