Scammers step-up sophisticated frauds
One side effect of the pandemic has been a surge in scams, with around £535 million reported as lost to investment fraud in the year to April 2021. One investment scam involving a retired detective shows just how sophisticated they can be.
Cloning fraud
A retired detective was pursuing a recommendation to invest in Vanguard, but when she attempted to find out more about the opportunity a Google search led to a cloned website. Further checks showed Vanguard’s logo, address and company number all matched, and the paperwork provided was convincing. The investor even had to comply with money laundering requirements.
Unlike many scams, the funds did not immediately vanish; the investment was available online for a few days. Encouraged by this, along with assurances regarding financial protection, the investor transferred a further substantial sum. It was only at this point that the scam became apparent, because this amount failed to appear on the online account. A call to Vanguard’s customer service confirmed the worst.
Contingent reimbursement model (CRM)
Most major banks are signed up to the CRM. They promise to refund scammed customers provided they were not unduly negligent. The idea is that the financial sector should be familiar with scams and how they operate, whereas the public generally is not.
The detective’s bank initially refused to refund the full investment, but ultimately relented. There are some scams so convincing that even an experienced customer cannot spot them.
Prevention
No website, text, phone call or product should be taken at face value, however credible. The FCA maintains a warning list, and this should always be consulted. It is not a quick check because a search can give several results, but what is very useful is that the correct contact details are provided for the genuine firm.
The payee’s bank details should be carefully checked since they obviously cannot match exactly those of the genuine firm. And of course, banks and other genuine financial institutions will not ask for your financial details over unsolicited phone calls, text messages or emails.
The FCA’s warning list also provides useful advice on how to avoid financial scams in general - https://www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart
