Fight against fraud stepped up
THE Little Book of Big Scams is one of the ways local agencies are using to help people identify scams online and over the telephone from which they may not be able to recover the funds.
At the West Show yesterday, PC Matt France said scams that sound ‘too good to be true’ usually are and many people on Guernsey are being targeted.
‘We’re seeing it more and more, on social media and on selling sites as well,’ he said.
More than £2m. a day is made by scammers in the UK and PC France said the island was not immune.
‘We have had experience of people receiving a phone call from somewhere abroad such as Malaysia or India, they let it ring once and when the person calls back it charges them much more for it and the people on the other end get a percentage of the charge,’ he said.
Often the scammers try thousands of email addresses or phone numbers in order to extort small amounts, but the damages can be considerable and not always recoverable.
‘It is often up to the good faith of your bank as to whether you can get the money back.
‘These people are almost impossible to find and based in far away countries, there’s very little we can do,’ he said.
Another scam reported in Guernsey involves people being sent a European cheque for which they are asked for a down payment on or charge of some sort.
The cheque appears in the bank account but bounces two weeks later, by which time the scammers have changed their contact details.
Fake sellers of goods or services on social media sites and other buying websites are also beginning to target islanders.
‘Always use a reputable payment method such as PayPal,’ he said.
The material includes a card with a list of tips and things to check for when receiving a suspicious call and are available in the Guernsey Police tent at the show.
