Scam Aware

Please be scam aware!

Do you know why fraudsters send scam messages? It’s to try to steal your personal details so they can use them against you.

As technology progresses, so do their tactics which can appear legitimate, including using fake email addresses or phone numbers, mimicking company branding or official logos, copying email signatures, and even using personal WhatsApp photos.  

They can use persuasive language or create a sense of urgency to make you act quickly without thinking through the situation.

Fraudsters use threats or tempting offers, so you react quickly, without thinking. If a text comes out of the blue and is about money, offering a free service, or sharing your details, it’s a scam.

What should I look out for?
  1. Is the message from a number I don’t recognise or a number in a different country to you?

  2. Is the message from someone who wouldn’t normally contact me via a mobile app like Whatsapp?

  3. Is an email from a public domain? i.e. Gmail

  4. Is the format of the email poorly laid out with grammatical or spelling errors?

  5. Is the email or message asking you something unusual, to make a purchase or impersonating someone else in the business?

  6. Is the email asking you to enter your username & password?

Stay alert

Spelling and grammar errors can be signs of a scam. But fraudsters are clever and often don’t make mistakes. Just because it’s perfect doesn’t mean a text is genuine. This is how fraudsters get you to enter your details: with a link that goes to a fake site or pop-up. Before you click, make sure a text is genuine. Call the sender on a number you trust to ask if they sent it. Never use a phone number from a text.

If you give your details to a fraudster, they could use them on a call to pretend to be someone you trust.

Report suspicious activity

If you suspect a message you have received; check the message before you reply. Wait until you’ve got a spare moment to make sure there are no tricks waiting to catch you out.

If you feel a text is suspicious and you’re in the UK, forward it to 7726. This is a free service to report scam texts. If you suspect a text from a Hyrdrogen/Argyll Scott consultant could be a scam text, please contact the consultant on the original number they contacted you on. Do not reply to the scam text.