Alert: scammers are changing tactics to commit courier fraud

[AlanJones]

New variation of Courier Fraud using Foreign Exchange Bureaus.

http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/news/alert-scammers-are-changing-tactics-to-commit-courier-fraud-jun15

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau’s (NFIB) proactive intelligence team is warning people about a new variation of courier fraud involving Foreign Exchange Bureaus.

As with traditional types of courier fraud, the victim receives a phone call and they are told that they’re speaking to a police officer and that the police want them to assist in an investigation.

This is such a widespread fraud in the UK and it's not surprising that new tactics are being developed by criminals.

Here's another.

http://www.finextra.com/News/fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=27449&topic=retail

9 June 2015

Financial fraud Action UK is warning consumers of a new scam in which criminals spoof text messages from the victim’s bank in a bid to steal personal or financial information. The bogus texts claim that there has been fraud on the recipient's account or that the account details need to be updated.

To make the texts seem authentic, fraudsters use specialist software which alters the sender ID on a message so that it appears with the name of a bank as the sender. This can mean that the text becomes included within an existing thread on the recipient’s phone.

Some of the texts warn that the recipient will soon receive a call from their bank’s fraud department inviting them to hand over their personal security details.

It's a unique feature of the UK landline phone system that, for no logical reason, when the receiver of a call puts his phone down, the caller can still hold the line open indefinitely which is something the fraudster exploits to commit 'courier fraud'. I recall several years ago that UK landline providers were going to put this oddity right within 6 months, but nothing has been heard since.

(of course it's bait of a giveaway that the scammer must be getting banking details from somewhere otherwise he is going to be wasting a high proportion of his texts guessing the wrong bank).

… and another

http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/warning_after_fraudsters_hijack_crimestoppers_number_1_4105241

9 June 2015

Warning after fraudsters ‘hijack’ Crimestoppers number

Police are warning of a group of scammers who have ‘hijacked’ the Crimestoppers phone number.

The fraudsters are calling people from the charity’s number - 0800 555111 - and sayign their are ‘Crimestoppers at the Home Office’.

The caller then directs them to the website to clarify the number, before asking for personal information such as bank details.