October Scam Alert

Published: 16 October 2020

Bogus Home Office E-mail Scam
One of our fantastic CAPASP supporters, Farmer Freeman in Oakington, has warned us of an email which is doing the rounds at the moment, claiming to be from the Home Office.  The email states that a fine must be paid for 'the use of a vehicle on a road in the charging area which a charging scheme applies without payment of the appropriate charge'.
The main red flags which suggest this is a fraudulent communication are:

• The sender's email address (which clearly does not look like a genuine Home Office email).
• The vague information about the alleged offence for which you are being fined.
• The warning that you must act quickly (or the fine will increase).
• The fact that there is a link in the email (in this case for making a payment).

Remember, you can check the email address of the sender of any email by hovering over or clicking on the sender's name.  If you think it's suspicious then don't click on any links or attachments.  If it's a new scam you've not heard of before then report it to Action Fraud and let us know so we can let others know too. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BT Email Scam
Thanks to one of our wonderful No Cold Calling Zone coordinators for sharing a phishing email they received purporting to be from BT.  The email invites the recipient to view their bill by clicking on a link.  This one was spotted as a scam because it did not address the recipient by name and the sender's email address was not a BT one (in this case it came from rameshreedhar@outlook.com).

Please warn others as it would be very easy to be duped by the familiar branding and click on the link where they may give away personal information such as BT account details or be worried by the fake bills that this sort of email may present.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Nottingham Knockers' in Cambridgeshire
We recently received reports that 'Nottingham Knockers' have been operating in different areas of the county.  Nottingham Knockers are traders who sell items from a bag on the doorstep, typically cleaning products such as dusters, sprays, etc.  They usually tell a story that they are former prisoners who are rehabilitating themselves and getting back into work in order to appeal to residents' emotions and get them to purchase their wares.

Items are usually overpriced and often just shy of ten pounds each so that if anyone does agree to buy, they have to find a note to pay.  This helps criminals to identify addresses where cash may be kept in the house and therefore prime targets for future distraction burglaries and other crimes.

Please spread the word about this to any vulnerable people you may know.  And please remind them that it is not impolite to not answer the door to cold callers.  It is best not to engage with doorstep traders at all. 'We're Not Buying It' door stickers are available to deter cold callers.  Please contact us with your request