Britain’s scam epidemic has sadly continued apace in 2024, with more innocent victims being fleeced out of their cash.
And with the rise of AI making fraud ever more difficult to spot, more people could fall foul of them in the new year.
Some 79 per cent of 1,200 experts surveyed by fraud prevention firm GBG said they had seen a significant increase in the sophistication of scam attacks over the past year.
And 96 per cent were concerned that fraudsters are using increasingly ‘industrialised’ techniques to scam as many victims as possible.
Baz Thompson, head of fraud and investigations at Metro Bank, said: ‘Fraud is always evolving and with criminals now exploiting AI and machine learning, our expectation is that scams will be increasingly more sophisticated.’
Thompson warns that while there are stopgaps in place to help prevent fraud, people need to be wary that they could become a victim despite the measures taken by companies.
Year of opportunity: Scammers are making use of AI technology to fleece victims
He says: ‘Our systems have to constantly evolve to protect our customers, but we would remind all consumers and businesses to be wary of anything that seems too good to be true.
‘Think twice before sharing any financial or personal information to help protect yourself.’
To help you stay safe, we round up the scams people need to be on the lookout for in 2025.
Facebook marketplace scams
Tools like Facebook Marketplace can be incredibly useful when clearing out clutter or getting a good deal on a pre-used item.
Especially after Christmas, many will turn to the social media site to give unwanted gifts a new home. But unfortunately, scammers are lurking.
According to Metro Bank, scammers are likely to offer goods on the site that don’t actually exist.
‘In the last 12 months we have seen an increase in fraudulent merchants offering goods for sale at attractive prices and then convincing the customers to purchase,’ Metro Bank said.
Often fraudulent sellers will try to lure you in using offers that might be too good to be true. They will then ask you to pay by card before you collect them, and leave you empty handed.
In order to avoid such scams, try to only pay on collection of items, ensuring that you are getting what you expect.
The same goes for buyers asking you to post items before they pay, as you could find that you never receive the promised payment.
Impersonation scams
Perhaps the most familiar of the scams on this list, impersonation scams see fraudsters contacting victims masquerading as ‘trusted’ sources of information.
In many cases, this means emails, text messages or phone calls pretending to be from a victim’s bank, the police or delivery companies and utility providers.
Often these scams ask for payment, such as unpaid delivery fees, or for personal and financial details.
With the deadline for tax returns approaching at the end of January, scammers are also pretending to be His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs.
‘HMRC scams are rife,’ Thompson says. ‘Threatening calls from HMRC asking you to act quickly to pay an outstanding tax bill should be a red flag to pause.’
The bank recommends contacting HMRC directly if you receive such calls. You should avoid responding to the demands, sharing personal information or clicking on any links.
Crypto scams are at an all-time high
Following Donald Trump’s election in the US in November, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have surged in popularity, as more people choose to bet on the future of these tokens.
People need to be wary that even established cryptos like Bitcoin are still high risk investments, and so-called ‘meme’ coins rely solely on increasing their value by bringing in investors on the back of internet hype.
However, scammers also make use of this rush to buy, promoting fraudulent online broker platforms, often promising high returns.
It is essential that investors thoroughly research these tokens before they buy, and are best to stick to trusted platforms when doing so.
Some crypto scams see investors buy into an online currency, causing its value to rise before the scammers sell their own holdings and crash the market, leaving them in the green while victims are left with nothing.
Fraudsters are looking to fleece music fans
The summer of 2024 saw a packed schedule of live events, with music and sports fans flocking to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the Paris Olympics and the Euros.
This also provided rich pickings for scammers flogging counterfeit tickets for these events.
Scammers are likely to continue to target live events, with fans willing to shell out huge sums to watch their favourite artists and sports teams in action.
The impending reunion of Oasis in the summer is a prime example of this.
To avoid falling victim to a scammer, those looking to buy tickets for these events need to make sure they only purchase tickets from verified sites – regardless of how good the offer is.
While there are legitimate ticket resale websites, individuals offering you tickets for a sold-out tour should be treated with caution.
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