“Pig Slaughter” Among Four New Scams in Disguise Which? Says you should know about | UK News

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“Slaughter pigs” and fake missing person scams are two of the newer ways scammers use to get your money.

Monday, May 22, 2023 00:39, United Kingdom

A new wave of disguised scams is “bombing consumers from every direction,” according to consumer group Which?.

The group has issued a warning about the four most disguised scams seen so far this year, such as “pig slaughter” and fake missing person calls.

Lisa Barber, which one? The technology editor said: “It is appalling that 2023 will see scammers continue to thrive, as a new wave of disguised scams bombard consumers from every direction.

“Consumers can help protect themselves from scams by accessing a wide range of free expert advice on the Who? website, from signing up for our fraud alerts service to getting answers on how to get their money back if they fall victim to fraud.”

any? He says scams to watch out for include:

Slaughtering pigs

The scammer and victim usually meet on a dating site, and after gaining their trust (“fattening”) the scammer eventually asks the victim to go to a private messaging service, removing them from the dating site’s protections.

The scammer claims to have been a successful investor – usually in real estate or cryptocurrency – and offers to invest some of the victim’s money.

The victim is sometimes shown a cryptocurrency trading platform controlled by the fraudster and encouraged to register and deposit funds.

A UK resident victim lost £107,000 in a scam like this, eh? she said, thinking she was investing in retirement apartments abroad.

Fake calls to a missing person

People are asked to share fake posts online about missing persons.

Near-identical posts are shared around the world with a change of location. Comments on posts are turned off so people can’t alert others to inconsistencies.

After the post gains many likes, it is edited to be about something different, like an investment scam – the high number of likes adds credibility.

any? Suggest only sharing posts from official organisations, such as the police or missing persons charities.

PayPal Scams

When people receive a “money request” from a real PayPal address – this may look real but scammers can send fake payment requests, often for high-value items, or pretend to be HMRC demanding “backward” tax payments.

Don’t pay PayPal bills that you don’t recognize or call phone numbers on those bills, which? He said.

Fake scam apps

Apps that install malware on phones, steal data, and perpetuate scams.

App stores are taking steps to address the problem, but the threats remain. When you install an app, tap on the developer’s name and check out other apps they’ve created. Also check that the app’s request for permission – such as a request to use the camera – is relevant to the app’s functionality.

Also, remember that app reviews can be fake.

Read more: Scammers impersonating real service providers Scripts telling thousands they’ve fallen victim to £48m scam

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People who believe they have been scammed should contact their payment provider and report the scam to Action Fraud.

Earlier this month, the government published a new strategy aimed at tackling fraud – banning cold calls for all financial products, such as those related to insurance or fake crypto schemes.

There are also plans for the government to work with Ofcom to tackle number spoofing, so scammers can’t spoof legitimate phone numbers in the UK.

These plans would allow banks to delay processing payments for a longer period to enable investigations into suspicious transactions.

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