Thieves are finding new ways to target holidaymakers, taking advantage of the fact that their guard is down as they relax. They may feel happy and content as they log onto a cafe’s WiFi in the sunshine or take money out of an ATM machine in an idyllic resort – but danger is often lurking. […]
Category: Consumer News
New Airbnb scam dupes several Telegraph readers
A few weeks ago I booked an apartment for a long weekend on Ibiza for myself and some friends through Airbnb’s website. I had heard about people being scammed by paying direct so I only communicated with the host through Airbnb’s email service. I also paid by credit card through the website payment portal. The […]
Five online scams to watch out for
Our latest investigation into scams reveals the ways that scammers are targeting you online – from fake gift vouchers to phishing. We asked 25 Which? members to collect all the scams they received over a month and the total came to a staggering 477. If they had responded to all of them our panel could […]
1 in 10 home owners are at risk of ID crime
Royal Mail have conducted one of the largest studies of home movers in the UK which reveals people are putting themselves at risk of ID crime by not redirecting their mail when they move home. Royal Mail commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct the third report into home movers experiences and concerns when it comes to […]
Europe’s worst countries for tourist scams
Spain came top in a ranking of Europe’s worst countries for holiday scams, followed by France and Italy. Spain is the worst country in Europe for tourist scams, according to new research. More than one in five UK holidaymakers who visited the country in the last year became victims of misdemeanours from pickpockets to over-charging […]
Airline Scams Take Off on Facebook
Beware shady airfare sweepstakes and voucher scams. July and August are historically the most popular months for air travel in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Travel Statistics, and when most people plan a vacation, they’re looking for deals. That desire to keep expenses down while also getting away for a few days makes […]
Holidaymakers targeted in online scam
Internet fraudsters have targeted holidaymakers using a popular travel firm to steal their personal information. Scammers nicked the brand name of one of the most well-known internet holiday websites to launch the con. Expedia bosses confirmed an investigation has been launched after fears crooks had “unauthorised access” to customers’ details. Unsuspecting travellers received an email […]
Holiday hell: watch out for fraudsters
No villa and your money lost – make sure it doesn’t happen to you when booking a holiday. Fraudsters are an unscrupulous and immoral bunch, but they’re also clever, resourceful and always on the lookout for new opportunities to trick the unsuspecting public. Travel has often been an attractive target, with crooks taking advantage of […]
Moonpig exposes details of 3m customers
Online greeting card service Moonpig has suspended its mobile apps following claims that a security flaw allowed access to any of its three million customer accounts. Mobile app developer Paul Price discovered the apparent bug while examining the security settings of the code Moonpig uses in its Android and iOS applications. He claimed that when […]
Credit Card Fraud isn’t the same as Identity Theft
Just as important as taking down the decorations, throwing out all the debris from opened gifts and getting the house back in order after the holiday activities, is that of scrutinizing your credit card statements. Why? To make sure that all the purchases on there were made by you and only you. The holiday season […]
Hackers release 13,000 passwords and credit cards
A gang of internet hackers claiming an affiliation with shadowy anarchist group Anonymous is claiming it has leaked the details of more than 13,000 users of Playstation, Xbox and online stores including Amazon. The hackers posted a document online containing username and password combinations. They also added credit card numbers as well as expiry dates. […]
Debt collectors demanding £621
I am sending you an email I received from debt collector H&J Recovery Services, demanding £621 within seven days or there will be court action. It says its client is a firm called UK Mini Break, but this has got to be a scam as my husband and I have not even been on a […]
How to detect the most ingenious email scam
If you suspect your computer might have been hacked, there’s a giveaway sign. So the new year has come and gone. For some, 2014 will be fondly remembered. For others (the executives of Sony Inc, for example), it couldn’t end soon enough. Another group that will be heaving a sigh of relief will be the […]
Watch out for premium rate “personal numbers”
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) is raising awareness of the methods used by fraudsters to trick victims into calling apparent mobile phone numbers beginning with “070” which transpire to be premium rate numbers. “070” numbers featured in over 2,600 fraud reports received by Action Fraud over the past year. Known as ‘personal numbers’, they […]
Figures show steep rise in telephone scams
Figures released by Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) show a significant rise in the number of people who have been targeted by phone scammers over the last year. The research, carried out on behalf of FFA UK by ICM, suggests that 58% of people have received suspect calls, a rise from 41% from research […]
The 12 online frauds of Christmas
This festive season the City of London Police is running ‘The 12 online frauds of Christmas’ campaign to protect millions of people across the country from falling victim to cyber-fraudsters. The campaign starts by shining a light on the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of online shopping. This is followed by a special ‘Cyber Monday’ focus on […]
Don’t fall into online fraud web when you log on
More than half of Britons have been victims of an online crime, with over £670 million lost to just the biggest ten web frauds in the last 12 months. That’s according to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, and coming ahead of two of the UK’s biggest days for online shopping, Black Friday this week and […]
Best Defence from Credit Card Fraud
If you use the headlines as a guide, credit and debit card fraud has never been scarier. We have seen massive data breaches at Target (TGT) and Home Depot (HD), reminding us of our vulnerability in a digital world. Clever hackers can steal the personal information of more than 100 million shoppers with relative ease. […]
Booking.com refunds customers
Booking.com refunds customers after online phishing scam. Booking.com, the travel agent, has said it has paid out compensation to customers after as many as 10,000 were affected by an online phishing scam. Victims were tricked into handing over money to criminals who had managed to obtain details of their reservations. They then sent them bogus […]
Thirteen unlucky holiday scams
You place your laptop on the airport security scanner while waiting for a couple of people to pass through the metal detector. The first passes, but the second person triggers the alarm and laboriously takes out coins, jewellery and a mobile phone from his pockets. By the time you go through, the first person has […]