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Fraud Newsletter – January 2025 Edition |
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Dear all,
Please find the January 2025 edition of the Surrey and Sussex Police Fraud Newsletter below. In this month’s edition, we focus on looking out for each other, sextortion, and fraud and scam prevention webinars.
“Each month we see many incidents of fraudsters targeting our residents in an attempt to defraud them. We’re working hard to prevent this and support vulnerable victims of fraud or scams. By following our tips and encouraging family, friends and colleagues to do so too, you can reduce the risk of becoming a victim.”
T/Detective Chief Inspector Antony Leadbeatter, Surrey Police & Sussex Police Economic Crime Unit
LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER…………. Fraud is a hidden crime, often happening behind closed doors, in person, over the phone or via the internet. This makes it increasingly difficult for fraud to be identified at the time, when it is happening, which is why we are asking for your support. Please look out for each other. Be that your friends, family, neighbours, or anyone you come into contact through work or your everyday life. Reports to police from worried relatives, concerned neighbours or supportive citizens provide us with the opportunity to intervene earlier in situations when a victim may not recognise, they are involved with a fraudster and are unlikely to self-report their concerns. Sussex Police recently received a report from a family member who had identified changes in the behaviour of an elderly relative leading them to believe that they were involved in a romance fraud and being financially exploited by someone who had befriended them following a bereavement. Early intervention by police in cases such as these, mean there is an opportunity to safeguard from further financial loss and in some situations, work with the banks to recover any funds already taken. In Surrey a concerned neighbour called police when they noticed suspicious workmen at an address of a very vulnerable male. Police identified that the resident had been cold called by rogue traders who had already convinced him to part with a significant sum of money for damp proofing and were in the address at the time of police attendance attempting to gain further funds. It is unlikely the vulnerable man would have reported this himself, which demonstrates the value in the neighbour making the report to police themselves. Over half of the reports received by Sussex and Surrey Police last year relating to vulnerable victims, specified that they lived alone. If you believe a vulnerable person is being defrauded, targeted, or financially exploited please report it to police on 101.
Are you worried about someone who might be vulnerable to fraud?
Sextortion Sextortion is a form of online blackmail, which is increasing at an alarming rate. This is when someone you have met online encourages you to carry out a sexual act in front of your webcam, send a video or pictures of an explicit nature and then threatens to post them online or send a copy to friends or family unless you pay them money. Victims can be any age. In Sussex and Surrey we have received reports from victims as young as 12 and 13, with our oldest recorded victim being 90 years old. The victim profile shows us that 96% of victims are male, with females only rarely targeted. The most common way that fraudsters are contacting victims is via Instagram and dating sites, usually then moving away from this monitored platform to an encrypted messaging service such as Telegram or WhatsApp. The payment method requested by the fraudster is predominantly bank transfer or PayPal, but we are also seeing an increase in gift cards being requested as payment for this crime type, with over £190,000 lost to this crime type alone in Sussex and Surrey last year. We have seen a recent example in Sussex a middle-aged male sent £300 to someone he had sent nude photos to and was immediately blackmailed into making a payment. In Surrey a teenager sent STEAM vouchers to someone he had been added by on Snapchat and encouraged to send images to. This crime is usually carried out by organised criminal gangs, often based overseas, who are typically motivated by financial gain.
How to spot the warning signs: They`re moving fast - They try to develop a relationship with you very quickly. They might be flirty, tell you they like you at an early stage of contact, or ask for nude images. Some may even send nude images to you first. It seems too good to be true - They might say they have an interesting job, like a modelling scout or agent. They might offer you a job or lots of money in exchange for images. These might not be nude images to begin with, but they could start asking for them. If something feels too good to be true, it’s safest to say no, block and report them. They tell you they’ve hacked your device - Some blackmailers might tell you they’ve got embarrassing images or information about you from your device. They might threaten to share this information unless money is given to them. Most of the time, none of this is true. They pressure you to do things you’re not comfortable with - They may repeatedly ask you to do sexual things you don’t feel comfortable with. They might even say nasty things like telling you you’re boring if you don’t do what they ask. It’s never ok for someone to ask you to do things you don’t want to and there are places you can get help.
How to avoid Sextortion:
What to do if you feel that you have been a victim of Sextortion:
Help if you're worried about 'sextortion' or online blackmail (iwf.org.uk) Sextortion - National Crime Agency
In the Community: Police and partners will be providing fraud and scam prevention advice in your communities on the following dates: Town Centre Events:
The next Trading Standards webinar is nearly here! It is on Thursday, 6 February between 10am and 11.30am, and this time we have three speakers. The sign up link to the webinar is: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/time-to-talk-about-scams-staying-safe-on-the-internet-bsl-available-tickets-1100854678979
Kind Regards, | ||
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