Don’t be fooled by the scammers this April

April is often associated with pranks and playful tricks, but the issue of scammers is no laughing matter. This month, we are highlighting some of the most recent scams reported to Which? that have been deceiving customers in recent weeks. These scams include offers for luxury afternoon tea hampers, requests to test Air Fryer Grills, as well as misleading claims regarding road tax threats.

BP impersonation email

An email purporting to be from BP invites recipients to 'answer and win' a complimentary 'car emergency kit.' However, this email directs users to a phishing site featuring a brief survey aimed at capturing personal and financial details.

M&S afternoon tea hamper

A fraudulent email posing as Marks & Spencer claims that you have been selected to receive a Marks and Spencer Afternoon Tea Letterbox Hamper. To claim this prize, you are urged to click on a suspicious link and fill out a survey. This link directs you to a site designed to capture your personal and financial details.

Holiday scams

Action Fraud reported receiving 6,066 holiday scam reports in 2024, with July alone accounting for 647 of these cases. Victims collectively lost £11 million, averaging £1,844 per individual. To safeguard against holiday scams:

• Avoid deals which sound too good to be true.
• To ensure the travel company is legitimate, verify their affiliation with travel protection agencies by checking the websites of ATOL, ABTA, and ABTOT if their logos are displayed.
• Check the holiday company's reviews on various platforms.
• Using a credit card or PayPal for payment offers greater protection in case of any issues.

Car tax payment scam

A fraudulent email posing as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) informs recipients that their recent vehicle tax payment was unsuccessful due to inaccurate information. The message includes a link for updating these details, warning that failure to do so could result in a fine of up to £1,000 and the possibility of their information being forwarded to a debt collection agency. Clicking on this link directs users to a harmful phishing site designed to capture personal and financial data.

Tesco scam ad

A suspicious advert on Meta platforms claims that Tesco is seeking 'testers' for an air frying grill. It offers the enticing deal of keeping the grill for only £2. However, this seems too good to be true, and indeed it is. The ad features a potentially harmful link directing users to a site where they must answer four questions to qualify as a tester, which aims to collect their personal and financial details.

Report scams

• If you wish to report a scam email, you can do so by forwarding it to report@phishing.gov.uk.
• Scam websites can be reported to www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-website
• To report scam calls on an iPhone, send a text with the word 'call' and the phone number to 7726. For Android users, simply text 'call' to the same number. You will receive a reply message requesting the scam number.