How a simple email could turn you into a victim of fraud

These days emails are things that the vast majority of us don’t think twice about when it comes to sending or responding to them. A huge number of people in the UK send and receive many emails each and every day via their computers, laptops, smart phones, and other internet enabled devices. However, for some people the humble email suddenly turns into something that changes their life for the worse and turns them into a victim of crime, simply because they made the mistake of responding to the wrong email.

In the same way that technology has advanced hugely over recent years, scams have also evolved in the same way, with many fraudsters now using sophisticated methods to get money off people. However, even the simplest method of simply sending an email asking for money can work for fraudsters if they use the right information to make you reach for your purse.

Examples of scam emails

Many of us have already learned to avoid emails such as phishing scams that claim to be from your bank or credit card provider. However, there are many other emails that fraudsters send out to cover all bases – whilst you may have learned to deal with bank related phishing emails it may not even occur to you to do the same with many others.

Some fraudsters are even wiley enough to send an email claiming to be from one of your friends or family asking you transfer money to them to a Western Union or similar account because they have run into trouble whilst on holiday. Some people would do this without thinking twice only to later discover that the email was no genuine and they have transferred their cash to a complete stranger. If you get emails like this always call or text the person who it is meant to be from to check on its authenticity and tell them you will transfer it to their personal bank account.

You may receive an email claiming to be from HM Revenue & Customs, which again can look very convincing. These emails will often advise you that you are due a rebate and ask you for your bank details. Bear in mind that HMRC and other government agencies will never send out emails like this, and if you receive one you should certainly never provide the details they ask for and should advise HMRC about the scam so that they can make others aware.

A lot of natural disasters have tugged at our heart strings over recent years, such as earthquakes and tsunamis and this is something that fraudsters are able to use to their advantage. Most people receive many emails urging them to donate to save children, people, animals, and countries from the horrors that they have been experiencing. Again, you should never link to any site to make your donation – access the site independently through your browser if you want to donate or call them to make your donation.