In November there were 145 reports made to Action fraud by residents of Camden borough.
The losses described over these 145 reports total £170,221 
Meaning an average loss of £1,174 per report.

The top 3 by volume (number of reports) type of fraud is as follows;

Advance Fee                        31 reports       £15,811           lost
None of the Above                  29 Reports       £77,025           lost
Online Shopping                    25 reports       £10,234           lost

The top 3 by amount reported lost:
None of the Above £77,025 lost 29 reports
Investment Fraud £23,690 lost 5 reports
Advance Fee £15,811 lost 31 Reports

Once again, the majority of “None of the above” and Advance Fee Frauds, were “Push Payment Frauds” where Fraudsters impersonated the victims Bank and tricked them in to transferring money from their account in to a “secure account”
In reality the secure account is controlled by the fraudster. The fraudsters can “spoof” their phone number to make it look like the victims bank is calling them.

Don’t accept an email, text or phone call as genuine.
Your bank will never ask you to withdraw or transfer money to another account.
Fraudsters may know some of your basic details, including who you bank with.
Never transfer money, withdraw money, purchase goods or give personal details following an unsolicited call.

Hang up,
Take 5 minutes,
Then verify through a trusted method (such as calling the phone number on the back of your bank card) to see if you were actually contacted by your bank.

Online Shopping continues to be the most “popular” fraud, please see our video on the following link;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-_wPFXK2m4

• Stay on the website – follow procedure / terms and conditions.
• Never use direct bank transfers – use the websites recommended payment methods.
• Never buy a vehicle without seeing it in person and checking its documents.
• Research the seller/buyer and bidding history- check reviews of websites/sellers.
• Seek advice from the website if unsure.
• Be wary of spoofed emails, claiming payment has been received, always check via the website.

For more information visit www.met.police/fraud

Always report, Scams, Fraud and Cyber Crime to Action Fraud, either online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by telephone on 0300 123 2040.

Read the original report here: EK Summary DEC 18