The following alerts have been received from Action Fraud –
On-line Auction Fraud
On-line auction websites are being used by fraudsters to advertise vehicles for sale which do not exist.
The fraudster advertises on an auction website and gets their victim to agree to purchase a vehicle, making sure that all correspondence is done via email. The victim then receive emails which claim to be from genuine payment merchants or auction websites which state that the money they have paid for the vehicle will be held in an ‘escrow account’.
The email indicates the money will be released to the seller, once the person has confirmed that they’re happy with the purchase. The email says that this will provide the person with ‘buyer protection’. In reality these emails are fraudulent, they don’t come from the named companies and the bank accounts are controlled by fraudsters.
Protect yourself:
– Always stay within the terms and conditions of the auction websites.
– Remember that PayPal do not include vehicles under their buyer protection.
– Meet the seller ‘face to face’ and view the vehicle before parting with any money.
– Be vigilant of emails that purport to be from genuine companies and check the ‘domain’ name of the email address for any inconsistencies.
– Check feedback online by searching the associated phone numbers or email addresses of the seller.
– If the vehicle is below market value consider whether this is an opportunity which is too good to be true!
Also
Online auction websites are being used by fraudsters to advertise agricultural machinery for sale which do not exist.
The fraudster advertises on an auction website and gets their victim to agree to purchase farming machinery, making sure that all correspondence is done via email.
The victim then receive emails which claim to be from genuine payment merchants or auction websites which state that the money they have paid for the machinery will be held in an ‘escrow account’.
The email indicates the money will be released to the seller, once the person has confirmed that they’re happy with the purchase. The email says that this will provide the person with ‘buyer protection’. In reality these emails are fraudulent, they don’t come from the named companies and the bank accounts are controlled by fraudsters.
Protect yourself:
- Always stay within the terms and conditions of the auction websites.
- Remember that PayPal do not include vehicles under their buyer protection.
- Meet the seller ‘face to face’ and view the vehicle before parting with any money.
- Be vigilant of emails that purport to be from genuine companies and check the ‘domain’ name of the email address for any inconsistencies.
- Check feedback online by searching the associated phone numbers or email addresses of the seller.
- If the vehicle is below market value consider whether this is an opportunity which is too good to be true!
Apple iTunes
Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) have been made aware that there are currently a number of emails being sent out that appear to be coming from Apple iTunes, detailing a recent purchase.
The email states that if customers did not purchase the item they should click on the link provided to obtain a refund. Once redirected to a web page they are asked to fill out their card and other personal details. This is a spam email with links to a malicious web page that is being used to harvest personal details, possibly in order to access victim’s bank accounts.
Protect yourself:
• Double check where the email has come from before clicking on the link
• Check your iTunes account for recent activity
• Consider contacting iTunes separately to double check your account activity
• Remember iTunes will not request your personal details via email or through attached links
• If you have filled in one of the forms, do not use online banking until you have had your computer checked out by an expert. Also consider contacting your bank to make them aware of the situation – money held in your account may be at risk.