Digital scams
The internet, smart phones and other digital devices have in many ways made our lives easier, but they have also given criminals more opportunities to trick people into giving out personal details. Digital scammers are mainly after your money, personal details, and passwords.
Top tips to spot a digital scam
- You receive emails or text messages asking you to click on a link or to provide your personal details, bank details, password, or PIN.
- You receive emails or text messages containing spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
- You receive an email or text message telling you to act quickly. For example, if you don’t act within 24 hours you may lose all your money in your bank account, or your bank account will be closed.
- Someone you’ve met on social media or a dating website wants to borrow money or asks you to send them gift cards or gifts.
Top tips to avoid a digital scam
- Never share your bank details or give out your personal details.
- Always use the phone numbers you already have for your bank or other trusted companies. Do not ring the number provided in an email or text message.
- If an email from a company or organisation contains lots of spelling and grammatical errors, do not respond to it. Delete it.
- Never send money, gift cards or gifts to someone you’ve only met online.
- Never click on a link received in a text or email without checking that the linked request for information has come from a genuine source.