Scam Emails

Email is an excellent communication tool and help companies to inform about their latest products and services. Unfortunately email is frequently used to deliver unwanted material which is at best, annoying and at worst, malicious – causing considerable harm to your computer and yourself.

Scam emails could be:
·         Spam (or Junk) email
The vast majority of email sent every day is unsolicited junk mail. Examples include:

·         Email Scams
Scams are generally delivered in the form of a spam email (but remember, not all spam emails contain scams). Scams are designed to trick you into disclosing information that will lead to defrauding you or stealing your identity.

·         Phising emails
Phishing is a scam where criminals typically send emails to thousands of people. These emails pretend to come from banks, credit card companies, online shops and auction sites as well as other trusted organisations. They usually try to trick you into going to the site, for example to update your password to avoid your account being suspended. The embedded link in the email itself goes to a website that looks exactly like the real thing but is actually a fake designed to trick victims into entering personal information.

Help disrupt fraudsters by reporting scam emails that you receive. People receiving scam emails are urged to report them!
The reports received by Action Fraud will be forwarded to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau run by the City of London Police for collation and analysis. This will enable crucial intelligence to be gathered and preventative action to be taken. The activity will seek to disrupt the fraudsters and close down the links between them and the victim.

What should you do if you’ve received a scam email?

·         Do not click on any links in the scam email.
·         Do not reply to the email or contact the senders in any way.
·         If you have clicked on a link in the email, do not supply any information on the website that may open.
·         Do not open any attachments that arrive with the email.

If you think you may have compromised the safety of your bank details and/or have lost money due to fraudulent misuse of your cards, you should immediately contact your bank.
If you've been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud.