Fraud and Cybercrime Hillingdon June 2022
Received by Hillingdon NHW from the Metropolitan Police Central Specialist Crime – Cyber Partnership, Prevention and Governance Department.
Once again Online Shopping (being lured into a fake website with a similar name to the actual website, or perhaps being directed there by a convincing link from your search engine), and Online Auctions (the seller never sends the goods, or they are fake or faulty) top the list - always double check where you're buying from, sometimes the offer is just too good to be true.
One recent case that came to us here at Hillingdon NHW involved a website where the payment was made by PayPal but the goods never arrived. A look at some of the online reviews of other victims would have raised a warning flag, and in this case PayPal refunded to the purchaser, but the whole episode was avoidable.
Finally, if you have elderly or vulnerable relatives, please warn them to be alert to all types of scams. Also remind them about doorstep callers and the need to Stop - Chain - Check before they answer.