Fraud and scams | Accord Mortgages
Stay one step ahead
Protecting your clients from fraud and scams
We'll guide you through the most common scams and show you how to protect your clients.
What's on this page?
What to do if your clients are concerned
- They may have fallen victim to a scam.
- They may have disclosed any confidential information to an unknown third party.
- They believe a transaction on their account is fraudulent.
- They have become a victim of identity theft.
- They have any concerns about security.
How to get in touch
Authorised push payment scam reimbursement rules
The rules came into effect on 7 October 2024. This means customers that are victims of authorised push payment scams can get their money back.
What you need to know about the rules
Here are the key points of when the rules apply.
- If you make a Faster Payment or CHAPS payment to another account in the UK and find out it was a scam, you might be able to get that money back.
- You must make a claim within 13 months of the final payment made to a fraudster as part of the same scam.
- The maximum reimbursement limit is £85,000 per claim.
How to protect yourself from scams
Here’s how you can protect yourself.
- Warnings from us – pay attention to warnings about suspected scam attempts from us.
- Tell us at once – let us know straight away if you think you have been scammed.
- Share information with us – share information about the scam with us when we ask for it.
- Make a police report – you should give us permission to report the scam details to the police.
When you might not get your money back
You might not get your money back where you have:
- Committed fraud.
- Not taken enough care to protect yourself against scams.
- Made a payment to a fraudster before 7 October 2024.
- Made payments that are sent and received outside the UK.
Types of Fraud and Scams
Doorstep scams
The scam:
How to spot a doorstep scam:
- Someone knocks on your door that you weren’t expecting warning that there’s a problem with your roof or driveway that needs to be fixed without delay.
- You’re asked to make a payment upfront for work to be carried out.
- You’re convinced to go to your bank branch and withdraw money whilst they set up.
- Additional problems are identified for which additional money is needed immediately.
Stay one step ahead
- Never disclose your PIN or let anyone persuade you to hand over your bank card, financial information or withdraw cash.
- Don’t feel pressured. Don’t agree to hand over money at the door. Take time to think about it and talk to someone you trust.
- Only let someone in if you’re expecting them or they’re a trusted friend, family member or professional. Don’t feel embarrassed about turning someone away.
- Check their credentials. You should always check someone’s credentials -a genuine person won’t mind. You can phone the company they represent or check online, but never use contact details they give you.
- Take the time to think about any offer, even if it’s genuine. Don’t be embarrassed to say no or ask them to leave.
- Call 999 if you feel threatened or in danger. Call the police non-emergency number 101 to report an incident if you’re not in immediate danger.
Holiday scams
The scam:
Holiday cancellation refund scams:
Holiday booking scams:
You may also get emails advertising offers or prices for package holidays or flights. When you click the link you’re directed to a fake website designed to get your financial information.
Stay one step ahead
- Be suspicious of any “too good to be true” offers or prices. If it’s at a rock bottom price, ask yourself why.
- Do your research before making any purchases by reading reviews. Before booking accommodation ask what checks the agent makes. Check the address exists through web searches and online maps.
- Where possible, book with an established hotel or through a reputable travel company.
- Read the terms before making any bookings to confirm exactly what you're buying.
- Always use the secure payment options recommended by reputable online travel providers.
- Use a credit card when making purchases over £100 and up to £30,000 as you receive added protection.
- Always access the website you’re purchasing from by typing it into your web browser. The website should use the padlock symbol to show the site is secure.
- Don’t click on links or attachments in social media posts or emails.
- Question uninvited deals and contact companies directly to confirm your booking.
- Only give out your financial information to trusted services.
- If a website looks suspicious you can report it to the National Cyber Security Centre.
Impersonation scams
The scam:
These scams often begin with a phone call, text or email that appears to be from a trusted organisation. Criminals can use a tactic called ‘spoofing’ to make their call or text appear genuine. Spoofing clones the number or sender ID displayed on your phone. Criminals can even trick you by sending couriers to collect cards, PINs or valuables.
Recently, criminals have also started using social media to contact people. They even pretend to be friends and relatives. If you receive a text from someone asking for money, stop and think. If you can’t speak to them in person, it could be a scam.
How to spot an impersonation scam
- You get a call, text, email or message with an urgent request for information, to make a payment or to move money.
- You’re asked to act immediately. This might take the form of a claim ‘your money is at risk’ or ‘your account will be blocked’. The message might threaten arrest or financial loss if you don’t act immediately.
- The sender’s credentials are slightly different to that of the genuine sender.
Stay one step ahead
- Most companies are unlikely to ask you to transfer money or contact you to ask for your full PIN or a password.
- Only give your financial information to services you are expecting to ask for them.
- Always contact your bank or an organisation directly, using a known email or phone number.
- Don’t give anyone remote access to your computer following a cold call or unsolicited text.
- You can forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and suspected scam texts to 7726.
- HMRC won't notify you or ask for your information via emails, texts or phone calls.
- You can forward suspicious emails claiming to be from HMRC to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk and texts to 60599.
- If you’re unsure whether it’s a scam, check gov.uk and their list of recognised scams.
- If there's a site you think is suspicious, report it to the National Cyber Security Centre.
Investment scams
The scam:
Scammers draw people in by:
- Approaching them directly to offer an investment opportunity.
- Placing ads on social media and the web.
- Using celebrity images or the logo of a genuine company to make their ads look legitimate.
- Placing sponsored links at the top of search results to attract people to their websites.
Criminals watch genuine trends and copy them to attract more victims. A good example of this is the popularity of cryptocurrencies. This has led to more fraudsters posing as cryptocurrency traders.
To help protect you, we do not allow transfers to cryptocurrency accounts.
How to spot an investment scam:
- Someone contacts you out of the blue to offer an investment opportunity.
- They put you under pressure to make a quick decision about an investment.
- Someone offers to invest in cryptocurrency on your behalf.
- Names or logos appear similar to well-known companies, with a small variation.
Stay one step ahead
- Be ScamSmart. The FCA’s ScamSmart service is a free and helpful tool anyone can use to check an investment is genuine.
- Check it out. Check if it's a real company by viewing their details on the FCA’s Financial Services Register.
- Take your time. Remember you can take as long as you need to think about or research an investment opportunity. Only scams will try to rush you.
- Seek advice. If you’re thinking of making an investment, consider getting professional independent advice.
- Stay in control. Don’t allow anyone to remotely access your computer, phone or other devices.
- Remember. If something sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a scam.
- Report it. If you think you may have fallen victim to a scam, call your bank or building society and make a report to Action Fraud.
Invoice and Mandate scams
The scam:
How to spot an invoice and mandate scam:
- You get new bank details from an existing service provider.
- You receive duplicate or more frequent invoices for a product or service.
Stay one step ahead
- Confirm service provider bank details with the company before paying.
- When paying someone for the first time, transfer a small amount first and check they got it.
- Send confirmation to service providers once you have paid their invoice.
- Always question changes in payment information.
- Be careful what you share on social media as criminals may target you.
Payment in Advance scams
The scam:
How to spot a payment in advance scam:
- You’re asked to pay an upfront fee to get money, a prize, services or goods that you weren’t expecting.
- You’re asked to pay an upfront fee for a training programme or background check for a job that may not exist.
- You’re told that the fee is refundable and will be a deposit or an administrative charge.
- There are follow-up fees you need to pay.
- The criminal pressures you to pay quickly.
- The domain name (eg www.example.com) doesn’t match that of the sender of the email.
Stay one step ahead
- Question claims that you’re due money for goods or services that you haven’t ordered or are unaware of.
- It’s extremely unlikely that you’ve won something that you haven’t entered.
- Check the email addresses of potential employers to ensure they’re genuine.
- Confirm that any organisation that contacts you is legitimate. Check on Companies House and use the details provided to contact companies directly. You can also check their website is genuine by checking the web address that they’ve registered.
- Be wary of fake profiles on social media such as LinkedIn, as they could be offering jobs that don’t exist.
- If you find a job scam, you can report it to JobsAware using their online reporting tool.
- If a website seems suspicious, you can report it to the National Cyber Security Centre.
Purchase scams
The scam:
How to spot a potential purchase scam:
- You’re offered a heavily discounted or cheap service. The deal sounds too good to be true.
- You’re asked to pay by bank transfer instead of using the online platform’s secure payment options.
- You receive a fake email receipt or invoice that appears to be from the website you’ve purchased from. The email address domain doesn’t match that of the genuine senders.
- The website that you’re purchasing from was only launched weeks ago.
Stay one step ahead
- Be suspicious of any "too good to be true" offers or prices.
- Use the secure payment method recommended by reputable online retailers and auction sites.
- Use a credit card for purchases as you will receive protection under the Credit Consumer Act.
- Read online reviews to check websites and sellers are genuine.
- Buy from the list of authorised sellers listed on a brand's official website.
- Always access the website you’re purchasing from by typing it into your web browser.
- Always ensure you click ‘log out’ or ‘sign out’ of websites.
- If you’re looking for a pet, buy it directly from a breeder or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead.
- If a website looks suspicious you can report it to the National Cyber Security Centre.
QR (Quishing) scams
The scam:
Stay one step ahead
- Before scanning a QR code in an email or letter make sure you trust the organisation that’s sent it to you and you have an idea where the code is taking you to. If in any doubt, don’t enter any personal information.
- If a QR code on a poster, advert or leaflet looks to have been tampered with, or stuck on over the top of an original one, do not scan it.
- If you have visited a website you think is suspicious, you can report it to the National Cyber Security Centre.
Romance scams
The scam:
The scam often goes to great lengths to gain your trust and convince you you’re in a relationship. This will all happen before the criminal appeals to your compassionate side to ask for money. They will use language to manipulate, persuade and exploit you. These requests might be emotive. The criminal may claim they need money for medical care or to pay for transport costs to visit you.
How to spot a romance scam:
- You’ve met someone online and they declare strong feelings for you after a few conversations.
- They suggest moving the conversation from social media to a more private channel.
- Their profile on the internet dating website or social media isn’t consistent.
- There are errors in their stories and they make claims such as their camera isn’t working.
- They refuse to video call or meet you in person.
- Photos generally tend to be from other people.
- You’re asked to send money to someone you have not met face-to-face. They may even ask you to provide them with access to your bank account or card.
Stay one step ahead
- Avoid sending money to someone you’ve never met in person, particularly if you have only recently met.
- Research the person you’re talking to, as profile photos may not be genuine. You can do this by. uploading a picture of the person you’re talking to into your search engine. Performing a reverse image search can find photos taken from somewhere else.
- Be alert to spelling and grammar mistakes and inconsistencies in stories.
- Stay on the dating site’s messaging service until you’re confident the person is who they say they are.
- Always consider the possibility of a scam.
- Only accept friend requests from people you know and trust.
- Speak to your family or friends to get advice.
Stay one step ahead
How you can protect your clients from scams
- Stop. Take time to think about what you are being asked to do before parting with your money.
- Challenge. Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will rush or panic you.
- Protect. Contact us straight away if you think your client has fallen for a scam.
Staying Safe Online
More information
- Take Five - My money? My info? I don’t think so. Take Five to stop fraud.
- Action Fraud - A service that is run by the National Fraud Authority – the government agency that helps to co-ordinate the fight against fraud in the UK.
- Metropolitan Police - Useful contacts for advice about fraud and cyber crime.
- FCA - Regulator of financial services in the UK.
- Get Safe Online - Easy-to-understand information about online safety.
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