Good Afternoon,

Please find below the latest Consumer & scam alerts from Norfolk Trading Standards.

Kind regards

PC Pete Davison
Community Engagement Officer – North Norfolk

Scam Alert – Telephone cold calls claiming ‘your internet service will be terminated’ – 11 June 2020

We are again receiving reports about telephone cold calls delivering a recorded message claiming to be from ‘your Internet service provider’ stating that ‘your internet service will be terminated within 24 hours’. It then gives the instruction to ‘press 1 to speak to a service manager’.

These calls are not genuine and are likely to be used to seek remote access to computers, gather personal, account or financial details or attempt to take ‘missed’ payments.

If you receive one of these calls do not press any keys if prompted and hang up.

You can report telephone cold calls received to us via our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on freephone 0808 223 1133

Scam Alert – Emails claiming to be from ‘DVLA’ – 10 June 2020

We are warning about emails circulating claiming to be from DVLA.

Recent examples have included emails claiming that ‘your payment has failed’ and that you need to ‘Pay your vehicle tax to avoid unpleasant consequences’.

These emails are not from the DVLA and any links contained within the message are likely to go to a genuine-looking fake version of the DVLA website which will attempt to gather personal and financial details.

Our advice is always be wary of claims made in unexpected email approaches and never click on links or open attachments if approached in this way.

DVLA offer the following advice to stay safe online with contacting the DVLA or if you receive something claiming to be from the DVLA:

• Only use GOV.UK
  • When looking for information or using our online services, double check that you are using a GOV.UK webpage so that you can be sure that you’re dealing directly with DVLA
• Scam emails
  • We never send emails that ask you to confirm your personal details or payment information. If you get anything like this, do not open any links and delete the email immediately
• Beware of misleading websites
  • Keep an eye out for potentially misleading third-party websites. These sites will often offer to help you apply for a driving licence or tax your car but are likely to charge additional fees for services that you could get for free or at a lower cost on GOV.UK
• Look out for premium rate numbers
  • Look out for websites offering to connect you to our contact centre, as they are usually premium rate numbers. Our contact centre numbers will only ever begin with 0300 – which costs the same as a local call
• Be mindful of what you share online
  • Never share images online of your driving licence and vehicle documents. This personal information could be invaluable to those looking to steal the identity of a vehicle or its owner
• Texts
  • We never send texts about vehicle tax refunds. Text scams often ask you to follow a link to provide credit card details. Never click on the link and delete the text straight away

You can report suspicious emails received to us via our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on freephone 0808 223 1133.

Scam Alert – Emails claiming to be from ‘BT’ – 10 June 2020

We are warning that emails claiming to be from BT continue to circulate.

Recent examples have included emails claiming that ‘Your monthly payment was recently declined’ and another saying ‘payment information for your account has been declined.

These emails are not from BT and any links contained within these messages are likely to go to a genuine-looking fake version of the BT website which will attempt to gather personal and financial details.

BT offer customers the following advice about suspicious emails claiming to be from BT:

If you’re worried about an email that appears to be from BT, rather than clicking on any links you should type ‘www.bt.com/mybt’ in your browser to log in to your My BT account.

• From here you can check your account details are up to date and view your bill
• Alternatively use our automated phone service to check your balance – 0800 443 311
• Forward the email to our dedicated mailbox –‘[email protected]’ and delete the email

You can report suspicious emails received to us via our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on freephone 0808 223 1133.

Cold Calling Alert – Doorstep cold callers enquiring about ‘insulation’– 9 June 2020

We are warning residents to be on their guard after receiving reports of doorstep cold callers in the Happisburgh area.

In the incident, a resident received a doorstep cold call from two men who claimed they were calling as part of a ‘government scheme’ which could ‘offer funding for insulation’.

We advise to be very wary of claims made by doorstep cold callers and never give access to your property, agree to services, buy items or for return visits if approached in this manner.

Anyone concerned about doorstep cold calling in Norfolk can contact us through our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline via their online reporting form or by telephone on 0808 223 1133.

Scam Alert – Test and trace scams – 8 June 2020

We are continuing to receive reports of online test and trace scams.

Please remember, genuine texts, calls or emails from the NHS service won’t ask you for any personal details upfront.

You’ll be given a unique ID number to log into the NHS Test and Trace website. The only official web address for the NHS Test and Trace service can be accessed via the following link: https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk/

Here is an example of a recent phone call scam where the recipient is noted as ‘X’. Thankfully in this case the recipient who received it realised it was a scam and hung up:

Caller: Good morning. I am calling from the NHS Track and Trace Service. According to our system you are likely to have been in close proximity to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 test.

X: Ok, can you tell me who that person was?

Caller: I am not able to do that. That is confidential information.

X: Right …So?

Caller: But you do need to be tested within the next 72 hours. So, can I get the best mailing address so that we can send a kit to you?

X: Ok (gives address).

Caller: Thank you. I just need to take a payment card so that we can finalise this and send the kit to you.

X: Sorry, a payment card? I thought this was all free?

Caller: No, I am afraid not. There is a one-off payment of £500 for the kit and the test results. Could you read off the long card number for me, please, when you are ready?

X: No, that’s not right. This is part of the NHS so there is no charge.

Caller: I am afraid there is. Can you give me the card number please, this is very important and there are penalties for not complying.

X: (puts the phone down)

Testing through the NHS is free.

If you receive this or a similar phone call it is a scam our advice is do not give or confirm any information and hang up.

Stay scam aware and report any suspicious approaches to us via our partners the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on freephone 0808 223 1133.

To find out more about the NHS test and trace service visit the GOV.UK website.