Skip to content
Online Goods, Tickets and Investments
- GOODS
- Beware of fraudsters ‘buying’ electronic items such as mobile phones or laptops. They are arranging to buy your item and on collection will show you a banking app transferring the money to your account. In some cases, they even call their so called ‘bank’ to get them to confirm the transfer. This is a fake banking app or phone number, and the payment will never make it to your account.
- When selling items online check the buyer’s review history and feedback from others. Be careful of accounts that may have been set up very recently with lots of favourable feedback that sounds the same.
- Take care when buying a pet online, as new figures show more than £2.5 million has been lost to criminals through fake pet adverts.
- TICKETS
- Take extra care when buying tickets for festivals and events online, as figures reveal almost £1 million has been lost to ticket fraud so far this year. Pass on this advice to younger family members and friends as most victims are aged between 20 and 49, losing an average £850 each. Criminals can create fake websites or social media accounts to capture your personal information or card details or take your money. They can clone the websites or social media pages of genuine organisations with subtle changes in the URL, branding or language that can indicate they are fraudulent.
- You may be sent or given tickets only to be told they are fake when you arrive at the venue. It is always safest to book tickets through official sellers that are members of the self-regulatory body the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR), as anything else could be a scam.
- INVESTMENTS
- Beware when buying investment or other offers for making money that sound too good to be true - they usually are! Cryptocurrency should be viewed as an investment and not a purchase due to its volatile nature - its value can fluctuate by up to 40% in one month. Common scams can involve fake "celebrity endorsement" or a “get rich quick” opportunity.
- Romance seekers have lost over £15 million due to bogus investment opportunities through online dating scams.
- London Capital & Finance (LCF) bondholders should be wary of messages inviting them to discuss compensation about LCF. These messages usually have a link that leads you to genuine looking websites which are intended to steal your bank details. Always treat such correspondence with suspicion and check with someone you trust before responding or check with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme at FSCS.