What digital scams are there, and how can I avoid them?

Many people use social media platforms on a daily basis, which unfortunately means that they are a common source for scams and other fraudulent activity.

Sometimes activities that seem harmless, such as a quiz or game, can result in you sharing personal information that is valuable to people who want to scam you.

For example, scammers can collect data such as your name and birthday, which helps them gain access to your accounts or take out financial products in your name, essentially stealing your identity.

For useful guidance and tips for common social media scams, which includes platforms such as WhatsApp, we recommend reading:

• Which: How to spot a social media scam
• Experian: What are the biggest types of social media fraud?

This is one of the most common phishing scams, which involves scammers posing as a representative from a well-known company. Some scammers will even re-create the original webpage to trick you into clicking the link provided in the email. 

What happens?
By clicking the link and entering your username and password, you have essentially given somebody else access to your account. They can then log in as you and withdraw any funds you might have.

What can I do?
Do not respond or click the link in the email. If you are unsure about your account,  find the company’s contact details by visiting their website manually by entering the URL in a new tab. 

Most companies will have information online about how to identify genuine communications from them, and equally any scams they are aware of that use their company name.

For guidance from PayPal specifically, we recommend reading their tips at PayPal: Scam Emails & Phishing.

Unsolicited emails or text messages claiming to be from Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) which claim you’ve been fined or that you’re owed a tax rebate, are common scams.

HMRC will never send notifications of a tax rebate or ask you to disclose personal or payment information by email or text message.

What can I do?

• Don’t respond or click on any links.
• Check the email address; HMRC has a provided a list of contacts for you to check against to help you work out if it’s authentic or a scam – check out UK Gov: Check a list of genuine HMRC contacts.
• Use official sources for guidance; HMRC has provided help with Examples of HMRC related phishing emails, suspicious phone calls and texts – check these examples to see how your notification matches up.
• Report suspicious activity; HMRC have guidance on how to report different types of activity if you’re concerned you’ve been targeted by phone, text, or email. Please visit Report suspicious HMRC emails, text messages and phone calls.

To learn more about HMRC scams, check out Which’s detailed guide and descriptions of common scams: Which: How to spot HMRC phone, text and email tax scams.

Scammers often impersonate your bank in order to get your information. These unsolicited calls, emails or text can be convincing as they may give you background information about you that they have gathered from social media or through data breaches.

These messages may include links or attachments they direct you to open, asking you to ‘confirm’ details or respond in some way.

What can I do?

• If you receive a phone call claiming to be from your bank that you’re unsure about, you can always end the call and find the bank’s number yourself online and call them to check. Check out more guidance on phone calls in our article What are fraudulent phone calls, and how can I look out for them?
• Never download software, open any unknown attachments, or follow any suspicious links. Scammers often ask you to download malware to give them access to your device (computer or phone) and can steal both personal and financial information.
• Learn more about scams; you can find out about common scams and see how what you’ve received matches up from these resources:
  • Money Helper: How to spot and avoid bank scams
  • Which: Five banking scams to watch out for in 2021

You should be aware that your personal data can be at risk through the use of smartphones, laptops and other digital devices which are connected to the internet, whether for study or social activity.

This exposes you to the threat of fraud and scams. This risk is increased if you use free Wi-Fi, for example in cafés or public space, where any security weakness in the Wi-Fi network could be exploited by criminals to intercept data.

Keep your devices protected
Generally, it’s a good idea to make sure your laptop/computer has anti-virus software which helps protect your device from malware.

Once malware is installed the scammer will often hold your files and block them until you pay them to release them (termed ‘ransomware’).

To avoid this, don’t open any suspicious email attachments and change your web browser settings to block any pop-ups that may come from visiting any unsafe sites. It’s also recommended that you regularly scan your computer for viruses using trusted software.

View it here or at King’s Media: Understanding & Avoiding Scams Part 1: What is a Scam?

View it here or at King’s Media: Understanding & Avoiding Scams Part 2: Known Student Scams

If you think you have been targeted by a scam or fraud and need information, advice or support, please don’t hesitate to contact the Money & Housing Advice team.

We also recommend reading I think I've been targeted by a scam, what should I do?

Please also contact Action Fraud to help prevent this happening to others.

Some further resources to help you:

• Our Money Mentors also have a blog with articles and tips on avoiding scams; in particular their post about scams.​​​​​​
• The Money Helper - Help with scams