THIS festive season Essex Police is running ‘The 12 online frauds of Christmas’ campaign to protect thousands of people in our communities from falling victim to cyber-fraudsters.
A spokesperson said:
"Kicking-off on ‘Black Friday’ (Nov 28), which marks the start of the busiest four days of internet shopping of the year, we will be doing everything we can to raise awareness of a dozen online frauds that have the potential to ruin your festive fun.
To see our campaign leaflet that has been created to help you stay safe throughout December visit our website at http://www.essex.police.uk/12frauds
Working in partnership with the City of London Police, which is the National Policing Lead for Fraud, we begin by shining a light on the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of online shopping.
So far in 2014 74% of all adults nationwide have bought goods or services online, and this December around 50% of UK citizens are expected to use the internet to buy more than half of their Christmas presents.
The good news is the majority of us will still have our presents delivered to our doorstep or into our email account without a hitch.
However, the sad reality is there will also be tens of thousands of people across the UK whose Christmas will be damaged, and in some cases destroyed, after finding out they have fallen foul of heartless criminals who specialise in tricking internet users with the promise of great online deals and big cash savings.
After ‘Black Friday’ we move on to ‘Cyber Monday’ (Dec 1) where we will be focusing on the hazards of opening Christmas e-Cards sent via email which, unknown to the recipient, may be carrying a virus (malware) that can embed itself and then corrupt your smart phone, tablet or laptop.
And then, every 24 hours for the next ten working days, we will be working with 37 other local police forces and a range of public and private sector organisations to flag up the threat of ten more online festive frauds, as identified by the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). Our December running order is:
Nov 28: Online shopping fraud
Dec 1: Christmas e-cards
Dec 2: Auction fraud
Dec 3: Holiday fraud
Dec 4: Loan and investment scams
Dec 5: Ticketing fraud
Dec 8: Donating to charity
Dec 9: Mobile malware/malicious apps
Dec 10: Money transfers
Dec 11: Social media scams
Dec 12: Dating/romance scam
Dec 15: Mobile payments
To spread the word far and wide about ‘The 12 online frauds of Christmas’ campaign we (local force or counter fraud agency) will be talking to local people and sharing top safety tips via traditional and social media and through our own community engagement teams. More internet safety advice can also be found at www.getsafeonline.org and www.cyberstreetwise.com
We will also be urging anyone who has had the misfortune to fall victim to one of the dozen festive frauds, or any other type of cyber-fraud, to report to Action Fraud – the City of London Police-based national reporting centre – on 0300 123 2040 or at www.actionfraud.police.uk
And if we have the evidence to take direct action, either sent through from the NFIB or handed to us by local victims, we will move swiftly to disrupt and shut down online criminal activity and identify and find those responsible.
This will be then fed back to the City of London Police and shared with other forces involved in the campaign and, if appropriate, with public and private sector campaign partners that include the Home Office, Get Safe Online, National Trading Standards, Crimestoppers, Victim Support and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) .
Essex Police Superintendent Keith Davies, who is head of Fraud investigation, said: ‘We fully support the campaign and it supports all the work we are putting out about fraud prevention. We want to highlight to the public that fraud isn’t just a scam it’s a crime. Our fraud awareness leaflet is available for everyone to download on our website www.essex.police.uk/fraud.”
City of London Police Commander Steve Head, who is the National Police Economic Crime Coordinator and is overseeing ‘The 12 frauds of Christmas’ campaign, said:
"Easy access to the internet has revolutionised the way we shop and pay for Christmas gifts and festive breaks, and how we go about searching for a New Year romance. Unfortunately it has also made us vulnerable to crooks that specialise in creating online cons that lure people in with the promise of cheap deals and stress-free purchasing, or that corrupt our smartphones, tablets and lap tops with computer viruses.
"The key to staying safe this December, and throughout 2015, is to understand the nature of the threat we face and to have easy access to information that will keep us out of the clutches of cyber-fraudsters.
"This is why we have created the ‘The 12 online frauds of Christmas’ and set-up a unique law enforcement and public and private sector partnership that I believe can deliver the campaign’s key information and safety tips to millions of people who will be using the internet over the next few weeks in search for the best possible gifts and the most stress free festive period.”
Minister for Modern Slavery and Organised Crime Karen Bradley said:
"The run-up to Christmas is a prime time for fraudsters and we are determined to stop them taking money from hard-working people. That is why we are supporting this City of London Police campaign.
"By improving the police’s capability to tackle cyber and economic crime through the National Crime Agency, City of London Police and dedicated fraud units in every region, we are relentlessly pursuing and convicting cyber criminals.
"However, we can do much to protect ourselves, such as using recommended methods of online payment rather than transferring money directly to a seller. Keeping tips like this in mind, and visiting the Cyber Streetwise and Action Fraud sites for more information, will help people stay safe online this Christmas.”
Tony Neate, CEO, Get Safe Online, said:
"Every year there’s a mad rush as shoppers get online to order presents in time for Christmas, starting with Black Friday. Shopping online can be a great convenience for Christmas shoppers but we also need to stay vigilant and take care with what we’re buying, who we’re buying from as well as how to pay for purchases.
"Sadly, year on year we hear about people thinking they have got the perfect Christmas gift for someone but they end up disappointed because they didn’t recognise the most common scams out there.
"We are urging online shoppers to take a step back and think before they buy – always question if it is too good to be true, do your due diligence to check the authenticity of the site or product and make sure you use secure and protected methods of payment.”
