Fraud Newsletter - June 2024 Edition

Please find the June 2024 edition of the Surrey and Sussex Police Fraud Newsletter below. In this month’s edition, we focus on holiday fraud, cabin crew job offer scams and how Surrey and Sussex Police are working to better understand fraud and the impact on victims.

“Each month we see many incidents of fraudsters targeting our residents in an attempt to defraud them. We’re working hard to prevent this and support vulnerable victims of fraud or scams. By following our tips and encouraging family, friends and colleagues to do so too, you can reduce the risk of becoming a victim.”

T/Detective Chief Inspector Antony Leadbeatter, Surrey Police & Sussex Police Economic Crime Unit

Holiday Fraud

With summer finally upon us, Sussex and Surrey Police are warning residents to be on the lookout for Holiday Frauds. If an offer looks or sounds too good to be true…………. then it probably is.

Whether it is cloned websites, bogus cancellations, or fake deals. Criminals are using a variety of increasingly sophisticated techniques to con people. Here are some of the top scams to be aware of and some tips on how best to protect yourself.

Phishing emails and sham giveaways

These can appear to come from a legitimate provider and will often ask travellers to confirm their personal and payment details. They may ask you to click on a link and be redirected to a cloned site

Be very careful if you receive an email, text, or WhatsApp message out of the blue offering an unmissable deal or giveaway.

Fake Accommodation Deals

Offers of late notice cancellations that are heavily discounted - asking for an upfront deposit to secure the deal.

Fraudsters will hack into legitimate accounts and post scam ads on social media, or in some cases you may turn up on the day of your holiday, only to find the accommodation you booked isn't available – or doesn't even exist. Be wary if the host suggests paying them directly by bank transfer as it's cheaper for them that way, maybe even offering a discount.

Cloned websites and social media promotions

These can be very convincing and appear like genuine sites. Although you may think you're on a legitimate site, you may not have noticed the URL has been changed.

You may get fake confirmation emails or booking references, from fraudsters impersonating airlines or hotels.

While the Atol sign should mean your holiday is protected, scammers can use counterfeit numbers on fake web pages.

How to protect yourself:

• Pay by Credit card If you're asked to make a bank transfer or use a currency transfer service, you may have less protection if something goes wrong. In contrast, paying on a credit card gives you greater protection.
• Do your research, don't just rely on the feedback on the company’s own website. If the company is unfamiliar, search online for independent reviews and feedback.
• Scrutinise the company's contact details. Is there an address and a working phone number? Can you easily get through to customer service and if so are they responsive?
• Don't click links in emails or texts. If in doubt, go directly to the website by typing in the website address yourself.
• Don't let yourself be rushed or pressured. Scammers may try to create a sense of urgency in their attempts to trick you – be cautious of this. If in doubt, don't proceed.

If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): [email protected]

If you forward a text to 7726, your provider can investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it’s found to be malicious.

If you have been the victim of a fraud, please report this directly to Action fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040

VIP Cabin Crew Job offer scam

Sussex and Surrey Police have seen a few recent reports of cabin crew receiving scam job offers for flight crew to work for VIP private airlines, offering 6 figure salaries for so called ‘dream jobs’. These offers can come from fake job ads on social media, email or being approached by a recruiter on a flight.

When someone responds to these communications with interest in the role, they receive demands for cash to cover cost of training, Visa’s, uniforms etc without these ever materialising. These requests can often come from multiple sources, such as ambassadors, consulate workers, recruitment managers for the fictitious companies that are offering the work and will continue until the victim realises that this is a scam.

Case study

A member of Cabin crew working for British Airways out of Gatwick and a resident of West Sussex, was approached on a flight to Dubai by someone claiming to work for the Dubai Royal family, stating that they have been really impressed by the service they have received on the flight. They advised that they can offer work on the Dubai royal family’s private jets and took down the flight attendants contact number and email address.

Subsequently the flight attendant started receiving emails requesting payment initially for a “Dubai and UAE Gold Card Visa”, then further requests for payments to cover training and accommodation costs, uniform costs. The requests kept coming and the victim kept paying, believing they were a step closer to starting the job. Over the course of 6 months they paid out a total of £16,000. At this point the victims bank has frozen their account, and using the Banking Protocol have asked Sussex police to visit the victim. It is only at this point that he has finally accepted that this is a scam.

The scam preys on the victim’s hope of getting their dream job, and as we have seen here, they can go on for many months. In this case, the victim has lost all their savings, it has impacted their marriage and left the victim feeling both depressed and exploited.

Tell us about your experiences 

And following your contact with the police we would like you to tell us more about your experiences.

Surrey and Sussex police forces have teamed up with the Police Foundation and the University of Portsmouth on work to improve our understanding of the health impact of fraud on victims, and the current approaches in the police and partner services to identify and support people to overcome the experience of the fraud.

We are inviting you to take part in a short survey to tell us more about your experience of the fraud, the impact it has had on you, and the support you received after reporting the fraud. It is estimated that the survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete. The survey is entirely voluntary, and we do not need names or any identifying personal details.

We are interested to collect information on the experiences of all fraud victims. Your responses will be invaluable to developing our understanding and informing the future delivery of the police and victim services.

Please click on this link to be directed to a short survey - NIHR fraud victim survey

If you wish to learn more about this work, more information can be found on the Surrey and Sussex police website - https://www.surrey.police.uk/police-forces/surrey-police/areas/campaigns/campaigns/2024/fraud-research-projects/.