This article is taken from the West Yorkshire Police website, where there’s lots more advice and links to help prevent fraud and to support victims of fraud.
Advice for Victims
If you have been a victim of fraud, there is a network of support and information available to you. Sometimes people choose not to report fraud or seek advice because they are embarrassed that they fell for a scam, con, swindle, or any other word used to describe the crime. Remember that fraud is a crime and that fraudsters will constantly reinvent themselves to find new ways of tricking people. Anyone could be a victim.
What to do:
- If there is a crime being committed or if you are in danger you should call the police on 999.
- The first thing you should do if you’ve been a victim of fraud is to contact Action Fraud. You can report fraud via the online Action Fraud reporting tool, or by calling Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
- If debit or credit cards, online banking or cheques are involved, your first step should be to contact your bank or credit card company.
Get support and practical advice from the charity Victim Support whether you have reported the crime or not. Victim Support is an independent charity for people affected by crime and traumatic events. They have specialist teams to provide individual, independent, emotional and practical help to enable people to cope and recover from the effects of crime.
Prevention Advice
- Register for the Telephone Preference Service to reduce the amount of unsolicited telephone calls you receive.
- Contact your telephone provider to see if they can offer any free / low cost services to reduce nuisance calls.
- Consider purchasing a call blocking device to block any scam calls that get through the filter. These are available from high street stores. Be wary of anyone cold calling to sell you a call blocking device or system.
- Register for the Mail Preference Service to reduce the amount of unsolicited mail you receive.
- Ask Royal Mail to redirect your post to a trusted family member or friend to filter any scam mail you may be receiving.
- Visit www.getsafeonline.org, a Government and leading business sponsored site that provides advice on how to protect your computer and use the internet with safety.
- Take Five is a national campaign offering straight-forward, impartial advice that helps prevent email, phone-based and online fraud – particularly where criminals impersonate trusted organisations.
Different Types of Fraud
For a full list of fraud types and advice on how to protect yourself, visit the A-Z of fraud from Action Fraud.
