Cruel cyber scammers are taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis by sending fraudulent emails to trick you into clicking in malicious links or opening dodgy attachments. Many claim to be from WHO (World Health Organisation) asking for donations and inviting you to click on the link provided. Make sure the link starts with ‘https://www.who.int’. Better still, navigate to the WHO…
There are many reasons to beware of fake social media accounts, apart from the distinctly human one of not wanting to be made a fool. Of course, it is precisely this merging of the human and the digital which makes social media so successful; and also why it is so vital to take the time to make sure that the…
A recent report by Citizens Advice said that around 4 million people in the UK fall victim to scams every year. These are usually targeted at the most vulnerable people in society, and can therefore be extremely upsetting and harmful. Cross-generational issue Unfortunately, it’s not just “the usual suspects” who fall for online and telephone scams, and neither are the…
Banks and other financial institutions (FIs) are rightly concerned about fraud. Becoming a victim of fraud is bad news for individuals, but trusted organisations like banks suffer in a number of ways. As well as suffering direct financial losses, they are liable to fines and legal action. Plus, there is the biggest hit of all; reputational damage. New account vulnerability…
Online identity verification is a hot subject for an increasing number of businesses, as the web becomes ever more important in people’s everyday lives. Also, for any business, the opening of an account is its most vulnerable time in terms of exposure to fraudsters. While there are already many types of identity verification accepted by businesses, the humble selfie is…
In many ways, there is no theft more frightening than identity theft. This modern day version of stealing can affect a person’s life more profoundly than old fashioned theft, like having your car stolen. At the end of the day, you can always get another car, or even use public transport; but how can you get your identity back? Online…
For some years now, financial commentators have expressed their opinions about the fall of cash circulating in British society. Some of these commentators see this is as inevitable and natural, while others sound a word of caution. While a cashless world may have its advantages, these necessarily depend on having the means to live without cash. With the coronavirus crisis…
Identity is a very valuable commodity today; possibly more so now than ever before. That’s because an interconnected world has led to a boom in fraud, committed by people who pretend to be someone or something they are not. Although proving your own identity may be time consuming and take some effort, there are some reasons why verifying who you…
Crime thrives in a time of crisis; one of the few things Al Capone would have testified to. The coronavirus pandemic gripping the world is in many ways a perfect opportunity for fraudsters and online thieves to make new inroads and bigger profits. This current crisis comes on top of the prevailing, long term fraud problems which blight online business…
As well as the right to withdraw consent at any time regarding how our data is held and what is done with it, the Data Protection Act 2018 gives us quite considerable power over internet companies and other organisations which use the web as a portal. Subject access requests It has been possible to request exactly what data an organisation…
