What is the basic security advice to reduce a risk of being scammed?

A response by Jon Caldwell, Security Consultant, at Caldwell Security.

More Blogs available at https://caldwellsecurity.co.uk/blog

There are a number of No-cost, or Low-cost, measures that can be undertaken, which will reduce the risk of being scammed.  But it should be noted that it is not possible to totally eliminate a cunning and clever Scammer from succeeding in stealing from you.

Firstly, keep up to date with the various types of scams that are being used.  Do your research by reading newspapers, and if possible, read suitable On-line articles.  Scammers continue to find more creative ways to try and steal your cash.  During the Covid-19 Pandemic Scammers were contacting Victims to offer a vaccination, or a COVID-19 test, for cash, when only the NHS were able to do so, and for free.

Remember to be suspicious of any unsolicited approach by either telephone, e-mail, letter, or doorstep caller, particularly if what they are offering sounds too good to be true.  Mistaking the genuine approach for a scam is nowhere near as bad as mistaking a scam for the genuine.

If you think you are not at risk of being a victim to a Scammer, research shows that you are in fact at a high risk of being scammed.  It is important to stay vigilant, and to make sure you don’t react rashly, or too quickly, to something that you initially think is from a legitimate source, but is requesting personal information, bank details, passwords, or requesting you send money.

Please read the Caldwell Security Blog Page, which gives some examples of currently common scams circulating in the UK.  Some very common scams involve calls from someone claiming to be from a Government Department, talking about reclaiming bank charges, or return of funds.  Another is where the Caller states they are from your Bank and there has been a fraud on your account, asking you to call them back, but instead they are waiting on the line and then get you to provide your bank details, or persuade you to transfer large sums of money to another Bank Account they have provided details.

Don’t be fooled if you receive professional looking marketing material, or links to Websites purporting to be legitimate Companies.  Be extremely cautious if you are asked to send money to someone you don’t know, or trust, even if it looks like the request has come from someone in your Contacts List.  You may be told you have won a competition or lottery, which you didn’t even enter.  You may be told you are due a Tax Rebate, purporting to be from HMRC, but they will never send this information by e-mail, or text.

To reduce the risk of becoming a Victim of Identity Theft, make sure you use strong passwords that are different from other accounts.  Consider changing your passwords regularly.  You might also consider using software on your computer, laptop, and mobile phone, that generates random passwords, but retains them in their software.  By also using a password to unlock access to the computer, laptop, and phone, this means you will only require to remember one password.

Never open any attachments, or links, in e-mails, or texts, until you are really sure they are from a legitimate source.  Always log-on to a Website directly rather than clicking on links within an e-mail.

Pay close attention to how you have been addressed in an e-mail, as Scammers will often not get your name, or title, quite right, and may not address you personally at all.  Always check the spelling, and use of grammar, in any message, as often the Sender does not have English as their first language.  Use the cursor to check the e-mail address of the Sender, as Scammers will not be able to use real Domains, and will often use misspelled, or random e-mail addresses.

Be careful, at the information you are providing, when using Social Media.  Scammers will harvest information from various sources, to try and glean information on potential passwords, addresses, dates of birth, friends etc.

If you use On-line Banking Services make regular checks of your bank balance, ideally every day, to ensure there are no unusual transactions.  If you are concerned with any suspicious transactions, contact your Bank immediately, and consider putting a stop to the use of your Credit/Debit Card.

Use a good e-mail Provider, and ensure they use Filters to stop suspect e-mails, and send them straight to your ‘Junk’ Folder.  Make sure your computer, laptop, and mobile phone, are kept up to date with the latest software upgrades.  Purchase quality Computer Virus Protection software to prevent spam attacks.

Consider using a Call Blocker Service for your Landline telephone.  You can purchase the BT Call Blocker system, and other similar systems, from all major Retailers.  This will allow you to input your Contacts, but the system will require all other Callers to leave their name, and then let you know who is on the line, thereby preventing scam telephone calls.

Consider to signing up to Scam Alerts, such as provided by Which, and some other Companies.  You will then receive regular e-mails giving details of the latest scams.

You may consider joining our low-cost Caldwell Security Scam Prevention Service, which can help reduce the risk of being scammed! Learn more by clicking HERE.

Caldwell Security Consultants will provide, no obligation, security mitigation recommendations, but they do not provide installation, or supply, of any security products.