Authorised Push Payment (APP) Scams

Protect yourself against scams by following some basic checks when considering investing your money

• Have you identified an investment firm, or have you been cold-called? Where did you find this company?
• Have you checked the receiving firm is on the FCA register? Register Home Page
• Have you reviewed any reviews on reputable consumer websites e.g. Trust Pilot?
• Have you been pressured to act quickly to secure a one-time special offer / rate of return?
• Are the promised returns higher than market rate?
• STOP – THINK – CHECK - if an investment offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

A common scam involves people being contacted and told they owe tax or need to send funds to a government department to avoid fines, court action, or criminal proceedings.

• STOP – THINK – CHECK How were you contacted? HMRC will never phone people to pay tax bills, and scammers will ‘spoof’ genuine HMRC / government department contact numbers to carry out impersonation scams
• Are you being asked to pay a bill / tax / cost of which you were not previously aware?
• Have you been pressured / threatened with fines / arrest / imprisonment?
• NEVER send funds to an individual, and if you have doubts about any phone contact, hang up and contact HMRC or the relevant government department directly
• Check on the official GOV.UK website to understand if this is genuine contact from HMRC – Beware that numbers can be spoofed, do not trust the caller ID

A common scam involves people being contacted by individuals claiming to be the Police, their bank or another account provider, and being told that their account is compromised / at risk and they need to move funds to a safe account

• STOP – THINK – CHECK – are you being asked to open a new account and share log in details or passwords? The Police, your bank, PayPal, and other financial services would never ask you to share these details
• NEVER send funds to a third party or move funds from any of your accounts after being contacted by phone or email. If you have any doubts about any contact you have received, check the number you are being contacted from and report anything suspicious to your account provider

Social media platforms are commonly used to perpetrate purchase scams – be wary of buying goods via e.g. Facebook Marketplace, Snapchat, TikTok, where recipients are individuals rather than registered companies. Many of these sites have disappearing message functions which allow scammers to operate and vanish without a trace so victims are unable to follow up on any funds

• Before sending funds to a merchant, check the company website, and any online reviews
• Are you trying to buy goods from a company but are being asked to send funds to an individual?
• STOP – THINK – CHECK - if the price of goods or services sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Fraudsters pose as other individuals and use false profiles to engage in online relationships, leading to victims sharing personal information or sending money. Another common scam involves duping victims to send funds for massages and adult services.

• If an individual you’ve met online requests to move the communication away from a social media platform to a messaging app such as WhatsApp, ensure the individual is genuine before sharing your phone number.
• A social media profile may be falsified using other people’s photos/details to appear genuine, be cautious if you receive any messages from unknown profiles especially those which have only recently been created.
• Always talk to someone you trust if anything about the communication seems suspicious.
• Often scammers will give false promises regarding meeting up in real life and provide excuses to delay this.
• STOP – THINK – CHECK – If someone you have not met in person is asking you to send them money, this is likely to be a scam. Do not send them any funds and talk to someone you trust or the Bank.