Dear Resident,

Vehicle tax payment scam

A scam email impersonating the government tells you that your vehicle tax payment to the the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) was unsuccessful.

It asks you to follow a link to update your payment details to avoid any penalties. This link will lead to a scam website created to steal your personal details.

In an effort to scare victims into clicking the link, it then warns that you may be fined up to £1,000, or have your details pssed onto a debt collection agency, if you don't pay your tax on time.

You can report scam emails by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk.

Malicious websites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre.

Action Fraud issue warning about social media and email account hacking

Reports to Action Fraud about hacked social media and email accounts are rising, increasing from 22,530 in 2023 to 35,434 in 2024, with nearly £1m being lost to hackers.

A campaign launched by Action Fraud and Meta encourages people to enable 2-Step Verification for each online account they have. This means setting up another method of verifying your identity - such as a code being sent to your phone before you sign into an account.

Action Fraud data also reveals that the most common motives for social media hacking were either investment fraud, ticket fraud or theft of the targeted account.

As well as setting up 2-Step Verification, you should also use strong passwords which differ from each other.

Meta has a step-by-step process that you can follow to recover your accounts for Facebook and Instagram. Microsoft also has a recovery guide for Hotmail users and Google outlines steps to follow for hacked Gmail accounts.

Recruitment scam texts

Scammers are sending texts over WhatsApp, SMS and Telegram which impersonate employees at real recruitment agencies.

The messages ask if you're interested in hearing about job opportunities.

This is likely to lead to a task scam, which involves opening an account on a platform controlled by a scammer and completing simple tasks, such as watching videos, rating products or completing surveys.

At some point you'll be asked to pay a fee to upgrade your account and you’ll never see your ‘earnings’ from completing the tasks.

You can report scam texts by forwarding them to 7726.

If you have been a victim of a scam, then report it to Action Fraud or by calling 03001232040.

Regards,

Brigg NPT