All scams are old scams with a new spin says Tony Sales
This was the message fromxa0Tony Sales, known as ‘Britain’s greatest ex-fraudster’, to attendeesxa0at axa0ScamwiseNI Partnership eventxa0held in Belfast on Thursday 27 February.
Tony Salesxa0from ‘We Fight Fraud‘ talked about the wide variety of scams that circulate, but stressedxa0’all scams are old scams with a new spin’.
He said: “it’s technology that allows criminals to explore scams in a new way”, and shared his top three tips to beat the scammers:
activate multi-factor authentication across all accounts,
never ever give personal or banking information over the phone
and makexa0sure all social media accounts are locked down so people can’t access friend lists, or any personal information.xa0
“I think these are the best three tips I can give you,” he said. “Beat the scammers!”
Chair of ScamwiseNI Superintendent Joanne Gibson said: “Police need the support of all partners to come together and work to tackle fraud.
“We heard fromxa0Tony Salesxa0speak about how it may look like frauds have changed but they haven’t really. It’s the tools used to commit fraud that have evolved.
“The vast majority of scams we see today are cyber-enabled but, ultimately,xa0a person is still needed to enable the fraud to be committed.xa0
“Unfortunately, as we’ve seen in the 12-month period from November 2023 to the end of October 2024, the total reported loss to scams in reports to The Police Service was close to £19 million, fraud can happen to anyone.
“Please don’t be afraid to report it if has happened to you. Help and support is available.
“The Police Service, along with partners in ourxa0ScamwiseNI Partnership, encourage everyone to have a conversation aboutxa0scamsxa0to raise awareness. This way we can empower each other with the knowledge of how to spotxa0scamsxa0and stop them, and adopt measures to protect our information.
“This can include something as simple as having different passwords for different accounts, and never giving out your personal and financial information over the phone. Being aware can stop thexa0scammer.xa0
“Importantly, if you have lost money in axa0scamxa0please report it – to police, your bank and Action Fraud as soon as possible. This is key to stopping the fraudster’s ability to steal more of your money.”
The PSNI has lots of information and advice on how to spotxa0scamsxa0which you can access via:
www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/keeping-safe/scams-and-fraud
Stop. Check. Report.
Stop – Before you transfer money or disclose any personal details to anyone you do not know. Do not feel rushed or pressured by timelines – genuine callers will always give you time to consider your options.
Check – Check and verify who you are communicating with using a trusted source. Take time to verify callers on another phone line where possible and check images via an image search. If you are in any doubt do not transfer any money or goods.
Report – If you have been a victim of axa0scam, report it to police on online at:
www.psni.police.uk/makeareportxa0
or call on 101, to your bank immediately, online atxa0www.actionfraud.police.ukxa0
or call 0300 123 2040. You can also forwardxa0scamxa0texts to 7726.
Information and advice is also available atxa0https://www.psni.police.uk/safety-and-support/keeping-safe/scams-and-fraudxa0or atxa0http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/scamwisenixa0or thexa0ScamwiseNI Facebook page @scamwiseni
The Chair of ScamwiseNI Joanne Gibson, Tony Sales and Chris Wynne, Dankse Bank.
