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Scammers Targeting University Students

Thousands of fraud reports have been received by the tax authority from students at university and colleges across the UK. Fake emails, which use university addresses in a bid to appear legitimate, may tell people that they are owed money and encourage them to send their personal details. The recipient’s name and email address may be included several times within the email itself and the email will include links that redirect the recipient to websites where their data is stolen. The emails often spoof the branding of HMRC, Gov.UK or credit card branding.

Director of Action Fraud, Pauline Smith … Read more

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Who’s side is your bank on?

The BBC programme, Watchdog, has investigated the story of a young victim who was beaten and left unconscious in a park and then had his entire inheritance raided from his bank account. To make matters worse his bank, NatWest, refused to help him.

Attackers made 39 transactions in one day, raiding the victims entire account, all whilst he was lying unconscious in hospital. NatWest refused to accept that the £20,000 spending spree was nothing to do with him, despite being provided evidence he was in hospital at the time the transactions were made. The young victim, named in the … Read more

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Grenfell Fraudster Jailed

Sharife Elouahabi has been jailed for six years for falsely claiming over £100,000 from the disaster fund.

Elouahabi told authorities that he had been living with his uncle and family in the tower and claimed to be a member of the El-Wahabi family, five of whom had died in the fire. In reality, he had no connection to them at all. He also told authorities he had suffered constant nightmares, anxiety and weight loss because of the tragedy. Nine days after the fire, he approached Kensington and Chelsea council claiming he was the nephew of Mr El-Wahabi, who died alongside … Read more

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Major Data Breach at Amazon

Just two days before Black Friday launched, Amazon has suffered a major data breach, which caused customer names and email addresses to be disclosed on its website. Amazon has emailed the customers affected, but has refused to say how many customers were affected. Amazon say this is not a breach of the website’s security or any of its systems, but a technical issue, that led to customers names and email addresses being posted.

Amazon said: “We have fixed the issue and informed customers who may have been impacted.”

Customers who received an email were told: “Our website inadvertently disclosed … Read more

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£6.1 Million a year lost to courier fraud

Fraudsters posing as police officers and bank officials have stolen over £6.1 million over the past year. The scams directly target elderly and vulnerable people, they call victims claiming that their bank account is at risk from fraudsters. These despicable and elaborate crimes have been dubbed ‘Courier Fraud’ and in most cases, they involve a victim being tricked into giving out their personal information or pin numbers, followed by a courier arriving at their home to collect their bank cards or cash.

A victim in her late 70’s was told that there was a suspected counterfeiting ring at her … Read more

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Travel Agents Sentenced For Fraud

A travel firm based in Leicester ran by three men has been running a multi-million pound scam. The firm falsely claimed to be licensed to sell Hajj pilgrimage package trips to Mecca. The three men falsified documents and used the logos of ATOL licensed companies to legitimise their business and take advantage of people wishing to visit the holy Muslim site.

After multiple complaints, Leicester City Council Trading Standards launched an investigation into the company and found that paying customers who used the travel agent were subjected to poor quality, dirty and dangerous accommodation and transport.

Judge Timothy Spencer … Read more

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Man found guilty of NHS fraud.

A man has been found guilty of defrauding the NHS out of £700,000. Michael Cope was accused of awarding business contracts to companies that he knew would fail. His two accomplices in the scam previously plead guilty to the fraud, which the NHS say cost £1.4 Million to put right.

Together, the three men awarded construction contracts to a company called George Morgan Limited and the work they carried out was so poor, it cost double the original price to fix. The court heard how the men spent the company’s profits on expensive holidays, designer watches, cars and property. The … Read more

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30 Years for Solar Panel Scammers

Six men have been sentenced to a total of 30 years and 4 months in prison for a scam which defrauded 1,500 elderly and vulnerable people, which netted them £17 Million.

A judge at Liverpool Crown Court has sentenced the six men to more than 30 years combined after a trial by jury found the men guilty. The case was bought after a four year investigation into the company Solar Energy Savings Ltd, by the Serious Fraud Office. The Serious Fraud Office alleged the men concocted a scheme to sell and install solar energy panels promising customers would generate … Read more

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The ICO fines Facebook over Cambridge Analytica Scandal

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has upheld a symbolic £500,000 fine it handed to Facebook in July. The fine was issued to Facebook in response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, concerning harvesting users’ data.

The ICO stated in its notice of penalty that data from at least one million British users was unfairly processed and Facebook had failed to take appropriate technical and organisational measures against it. The fine is the maximum amount allowed under the Data Protection Act 1998.

In a statement a Facebook spokesperson said: “We are grateful that the ICO has acknowledged our full cooperation throughout … Read more

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Company Directors Found Guilty Of Cold-Calling Scam

Two company directors from Nottingham have been found guilty of fraudulent trading after a 10-day trial. The firm cold-called businesses all over the UK, including takeaway restaurants, nail bars, hair salons and other small businesses, offering to reduce their business rates. The firm charged customers either £399 or £499 for simply filling in application forms. On their website, they boasted that they were the leading specialist in business rates, something that they could not justify when asked in court.

The small businesses targeted were then pressed for payment, even though rate cuts had not been achieved by the company. … Read more

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