Staying fraud aware

You may think you’re already quite scam-savvy, but as technology advances and our digital footprints grow, there’s an ever-increasing number of ways that you can be targeted by fraudsters. Take this quick quiz to see how you fare faced with potential scams.

Thankfully, safety precautions and systems are only improving but we can all do our bit to ensure we stay alert. The national Take Five campaign actively encourages everyone to follow these three steps before making a payment or disclosing information:

STOP - Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

CHALLENGE - It’s ok to reject, refuse, or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

PROTECT - Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.

Remembering these action points keeps us fraud aware but what’s to be done when we come up against specific types of scams?

Over to our Head of Risk and Compliance, Colin Darby, and Chief Security Officer, Aneel Sandhu.

Aneel says,

“Only install apps on your phone from trusted sources, so on Apple devices that’s the App Store and on Android, only download from the Playstore. Downloading or installing apps straight from the internet could contain hidden malware that can be used to take over your banking apps, including Monese."

Colin says,

“According to the Annual Fraud Report, there’s been a spike in investment, delivery and purchase scams over the last year due to more people spending and shopping online from home. Look out for our in-app messaging that asks you to confirm you’re comfortable making these payments.”

You can read the full Annual Fraud report here.

Find out more about the Take Five campaign here.

Sign up to the Citizens Advice Bureau #ScamAware mailing list and encourage family and friends to do so too.