WhatsApp Community group scam! Large community and religious WhatsApp groups are being targeted by scammers who infiltrate these groups to deceive their members into sending them money. Action Fraud confirm they have received 268 reports since January this year. The fraud often begins when a member of the group receives a WhatsApp audio call from the fraudster, pretending, or claiming, to be a member of the group. This is done in order to gain the individual’s trust, and often the scammer will use a false profile picture and/or display name, so at first glance it would appear to be a genuine member of the group. The fraudster will then call the victim and say they are sending a one-time passcode which will allow them to join an upcoming video call for group members. The scammer then asks the victim to share this passcode with them so they can be “registered” for the video call. What’s really happening is that the scammer is asking for a registration code to register the victim’s WhatsApp account to a new device where they then “port” their WhatsApp profile over. Once the fraudster has access to the victim’s WhatsApp account, they will enable two-step verification which makes it impossible for the victim to access their account. The scammer will then message other members of the group, or friends and family in the victim’s contacts, asking them to transfer money urgently as they are in desperate need of help. Analysis of Action Fraud reports indicate that victims targeted by this scam are often part of large WhatsApp community, alumni and academic, work groups, and religious groups (such as church or prayer groups).
What can you do to avoid being a victim?
Never share your account’s two-factor authentication (2FA) code (that’s the six-digit code you receive via SMS).
Set up two-step verification to give an extra layer of protection to your account.
Tap Settings > Account >Two-step verification > Enable.
THINK. CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity.
You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.
If you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, report it at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Egg scam: We've started to see more of the scam egg posts across Facebook Community groups. Please do not engage with the person posting the advert, instead report it to the group admin for the post to be removed.
These posts initially look legitimate, however, much like the "lost dog" or "injured dog" posts, they soon turn malicious. The individual turns the comments off so that you can only contact them by privately messaging them, they then ask for payment for the eggs via a cash app. Once the money is transferred they disappear off of Facebook or you are blocked. A search of the text within the post shows the same or similar adverts across Facebook appearing in Community groups. We spotted them in groups in East Sussex, Dublin and Bournemouth.
Facebook users can verify a post by doing a little bit of research:
Read the information carefully, looking for spelling errors and out of place information.
Check the profile of the person posting. Has it been created very recently? Do they appear to live locally?
Do a reverse image search on Google. That will show if the image has been used elsewhere for adverts or websites.
Copy and paste the text from the post into the Facebook search bar to see if other posts appear elsewhere on the platform.
If you suspect a scam, report it to Facebook.
If you have lost money to a scammer, report it to your bank immediately. Report all scams to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
Crypto scam: Have you been approached online with an offer to make money by investing in crypto? Remember that criminals target people looking for investment opportunities to commit fraud. Take your time and do lots of research when presented with an investment opportunity. You can take the FCA’s ScamSmart test, check their warning list and their register of authorised firms to help determine whether something could be fraudulent. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
Suffolk Trusted Trader is now accepting applications. The scheme is the ONLY official trader scheme in Suffolk that is backed by Suffolk County Council with members who are vetted and monitored by Trading Standards. Applications are being invited for most business sectors that are based and conduct business within Suffolk. It will be a professional membership scheme with a single annual fee of £252 including VAT and no other costs.To help launch the scheme, the first 50 applications will be able to join at a 50% reduced fee. You can apply by visiting: www.trustedtrader.team/Suffolk/signup
To learn more about the scheme, visit www.trustedtrader.team/Suffolk
Recall: Hotel Chocolat recalls Hotel Chocolat Choose Your Poison because it may contain pieces of glass. The possible presence of glass makes this product unsafe to eat. The affected product is sold at Hotel Chocolat stores, online and at John Lewis stores.
Pack size: 160g
Lot number: 23205, 23206, and 23207
Best before: January 2024
If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund. For further information contact Hotel Chocolat at help@hotelchocolat.com.
If you need advice, or want to report a scam or rogue trader,call Suffolk Trading Standards via:
Phone - 0808 223 1133, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or Website