Read on to find out what my five things are to avoid being scammed.
1. I wouldn't buy from Facebook Marketplace without first inspecting the item in person.
In a cost of living crisis, buying second-hand furniture, clothes and children's toys can be a more affordable and sustainable option than buying new.
Facebook Marketplace hosts listings for huge numbers of items, and normally the seller is local to you.
Read more:2. I would never pay a stranger using bank transfer or PayPal's Friends and Family payments.
The same goes for bank transfers, which also lack protection. While there are some protections in place for scam victims who lose money through a bank transfer, getting your money back can be tricky.
Read more:3. I wouldn't buy an unregulated investment.
The world is awash with exotic investment options – Scotch whisky casks, fine art, soybean futures and tropical island developments, to name a few. And of course, there's crypto.
To the novice investor, the above might seem more exciting than the traditional options of buying stocks, shares and physical gold – particularly if the slick website or handout is promising you huge, inflation-beating returns.
Find out:4. I wouldn't trust a call from the 'Fraud Department'.
If your bank detects a suspicious transaction on your account, it will freeze that transaction – and often the whole account – while it investigates the situation with you.
Typically you'll receive a text message asking you to call the bank yourself. As long as you use the trusted phone number from your bank card or statement, this is safe.
What isn't safe is answering a call from a human who claims to be from your bank's fraud team and then grills you for personal information or a one-time passcode.
These calls come from scammers and I wouldn't hand over any details.
Instead, I would hang up and spend a few minutes taking deep breaths to relieve any panic or stress. I would then use a different phone to call my bank using a trusted number to report what had happened.
Read more:5. I wouldn't assume a loved one's cash request is genuine.
The request may be for a bank transfer (to an account under a different name than your genuine loved one) or it may be for payment in gift cards.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/5-things-i-would-never-do-as-a-scams-expert-aT6H69W1bR7o