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I wanted to provide you with an update regarding Fraud, which people around your area have highlighted as an issue of concern on the priority survey. Waltham Forest Cyber Crime Summary
October 2025
Executive Summary
Top 5
The top 5 by volume (number of reports) type of fraud is as follows:
The top 5 by amount reported lost:
Fraud Advice
Door-to-Door Fraud
Door-to-door scams involve criminals knocking on your door and unexpectedly offering products or services. Fraudsters convince you to pay for goods or work which is often overpriced, of poor quality or is not even carried out. In many cases, this work is not necessary. They may use intimidation and pressure you to make quick decisions so that you agree to their demands.
Criminals may try to convince you that work is urgently required and the price they are charging is fair. They will put pressure on you to have the work done immediately and may ask for payment upfront. Often the work is not completed, or if it is, the work is to a poor standard. You may also be overcharged for any work done.
They can use deception to convince you:
•
Claiming they were working on a neighbours’ address and noticed you need work completed and they have left over materials.
•
They may inspect areas you can’t access, for example the loft or roof and show you photos or videos claiming they are evidence that you need the urgent repairs. Beware of these tactics as these images may not even be your property.
Number of offences
153
Total loss
£351,898.19
Average per victim
£2,299.99
Fraud Type
Amount of Offences
Amount Lost
NFIB1H - Other Advance Fee Frauds
27
£48,471.30
NFIB3A - Online Shopping and Auctions
17
£5,015.88
NFIB5A - Cheque, Plastic Card and Online Bank Accounts (not PSP)
14
£64,154.50
NFIB3D - Other Consumer Non Investment Fraud
13
£27,442.03
NFIB52C - Hacking - Social Media and Email
13
£0.00
Fraud Type
Amount Lost
Amount of Offences
NFIB3C - Door to Door Sales and Bogus Tradesmen
£112,000.00
2
NFIB2E - Other Financial Investment
£66,144.49
8
NFIB5A - Cheque, Plastic Card and Online Bank Accounts (not PSP)
£64,154.50
14
NFIB1H - Other Advance Fee Frauds
£48,471.30
27
NFIB3D - Other Consumer Non Investment Fraud
£27,442.03
13
Waltham Forest Cyber Crime Summary
October 2025
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They may throw water down when you are not looking to indicate you have ‘damp’.
•
They may be insistent you pay in cash immediately or put down a deposit, even offering to take you to the bank to get the money. If you do this, they may continue to find reasons for you to pay more money.
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Some callers will be legitimate. Gas, electricity and water companies may visit to read your meters. Charities may visit to ask for donations and council officials may contact you regarding local issues. Always ask for identification and tell them to wait outside whilst you check this by calling the company or speaking to a relative or friend. If you are calling the company, don’t use the phone number on the person’s ID card).
How to protect yourself
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Always check their identity. If you are not happy about a person’s identity, do not let them into your house under any circumstances.
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Never leave your front door open/unlocked and unattended, so a second individual can’t enter without your knowledge.
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Take time to consider your options and research costs from other providers. If in doubt contact your local Trading Standards.
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If you feel pressured by any cold caller, have the confidence to be firm and say no.
•
Call the citizens advice consumer helpline following a doorstep caller on 03454 04 05 06.
REMEMBER - Take time to consider your options. Don’t be pressured into making a quick decision.
CAUTION - Never pay upfront for goods or services you have not received.
THINK - Are they a legitimate company? Why haven’t they given you a written quote?
Social Media & Email Hacking
If hackers get into your device or accounts, they could access your money, your personal information, or information about your business.
You can improve your cyber security by taking six actions:
1.
Use a strong and separate password for your email
2.
Create strong passwords using 3 random words
3.
Save your passwords in your browser
4.
Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA)
5.
Update your devices
6.
Back up your data
More information and cyber advice can be found here;
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/home
Waltham Forest Cyber Crime Summary
October 2025
Online Shopping and Auction Sites
Online shopping can save you time, effort and money. Millions of people use websites such as eBay and AutoTrader to buy new or second hand goods for competitive prices. These sites give you the opportunity to purchase a huge choice of goods from all over the world. However, among the genuine buyers and sellers on these sites, there are criminals who use the anonymity of the internet to offer goods for sale they do not have, or are fake.
In the majority of transactions, the buyer and seller never meet. Which means when making a purchase or sale on a website, you are reliant on the security measures of the site.
Fraudsters will advertise an item for sale, frequently at a bargain price compared to other listings of a similar type. They may have pictures of the item so it appears to be a genuine sale.
A favoured tactic is to encourage buyers to move away from the website to complete the transaction, and the criminal may offer a further discount if you do so. Many websites offer users the opportunity to pay via a recognised, secure third party payment service, such as PayPal, Android Pay or Apple Pay. Read the website’s advice and stick to it. Fraudsters might be insistent you pay via bank transfer instead. By communicating and paying away from the website, contrary to their policies, you risk losing any protection you had.
Criminals may also email or contact you if you have ‘bid’ on an item but not been successful in winning the auction. They will claim that the winning bidder pulled out or didn’t have the funds and offer you the chance to buy the item. Once you agree, they will either provide bank details or even insist payment is made via a third party payment service for mutual protection. Once you agree, they ‘arrange’ this. You then receive a very legitimate looking email which appears to be from the website or a third party payment service directing you how to make the payment. Some are very sophisticated, even having ‘Live Chat’ functions that you can use to speak to a sales advisor! Unfortunately, you will again be communicating to the fraudster, so beware!
In both these scenarios, once the payment is made, the ‘seller’ won’t send the item. They’ll either not reply to you or make excuses as to why they haven’t sent the goods. If they do send the item, they’ll send counterfeit goods instead of the genuine items advertised. Again, you may struggle to receive any compensation or resolution to this problem from the legitimate website, as it could be against their policies.
Fraudsters also use e-commerce websites to pose as ‘buyers.’ If you have an item for sale, they may contact you and arrange to purchase this. It is common for criminals to fake a confirmation that payment has been made. Before posting any item, log in to your account via your normal method (not a link on the email received) and check that you have received the money.
You must also be careful what address you send items to. Fraudsters may ask you to send items to a different address. They may claim they need it sent to their work address or to a friend or family member. If you send the item to an address other than the one registered on the user account, you may not be provided any protection from the website or payment service.
How to protect yourself
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Stay on site!
•
Be wary of offers that look too good to be true.
•
Read the consumer advice on any website you are using to make a purchase. Use the recommended payment method, or you may not be refunded for any losses to fraud.
•
Research the seller/buyer and any of their bidding history.
•
Don’t be convinced by pictures, they may have been taken from somewhere else on the internet. You can check photos using a reverse image search on the internet through websites like www.tineye.com or https://reverse.photos/
•
Be suspicious of any requests to pay by bank transfer or virtual currency instead of the websites recommended payment methods.
•
Never buy a vehicle without seeing it in person. Ask to see the relevant documentation for the vehicle to ensure the seller has ownership.
Waltham Forest Cyber Crime Summary
October 2025
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If you are selling online, be wary of any emails stating funds have been sent. Always log in to your account via your normal route (not via link in email) to check.
•
Watch our video on Online Shopping Fraud at www.met.police.uk/littlemedia.
REMEMBER - Stay on site.
CAUTION - Be wary of paying by bank transfer or virtual currency.
THINK - Why is this item so cheap? Is it a scam?
Remember:
Your bank, the police, or tax office will never ask you to attend your bank, withdraw, transfer or pay money over the phone or send couriers to collect your card or cash. Nor would they ask you to buy goods or vouchers.
This is a scam.
1.
Hang up (Never give details or money following a cold call)
2.
Take 5 (Seek a second opinion, tell someone what has happened)
3.
Verify (if concerned, contact the company via a pre-confirmed method)
All of our videos and electronic leaflets can be found on the following link;
www.met.police.uk/littlemedia
Free cyber advice can be found https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/home
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STOP
Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
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CHALLENGE
Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
•
PROTECT
Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.
Where to Report a Scam:
If you think you have been scammed, contact your bank first by calling 159
How it Works; 159 works in the same way as 101 for the police or 111 for the NHS. It’s the number you can trust to get you through to your bank safely and securely every time. So if you think someone is trying to scam you into handing over money or personal details – stop, hang up and call 159 to speak directly to your bank.
Always report; scams, fraud and cyber-crime to Action Fraud, either online at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by telephone on 0300 123 2040.
Subscribe to the “Which” Scam Alert Service where you can receive free updates on current scams being used. Copy this link into your search engine https://act.which.co.uk/ and locate “Scam Alerts newsletter” to register your details. Which will then provide practical advice to keep you one step ahead of fraudsters.
Get advice and report it to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or online advice at www.adviceguide.org.uk The Citizens Advice consumer service provides free, confidential and impartial advice on consumer issues. It is important that all complaints are referred to the Citizens Advice consumer service as they
Waltham Forest Cyber Crime Summary
October 2025
maintain a national database of complaints that provides an invaluable source of information and intelligence to the trading standards community Details of all consumer enquiries, dealt with by the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, are made available to Trading Standards
Report a text message you think is a scam - most phone providers are part of a scheme that allows customers to report suspicious text messages for free by forwarding it to 7726. If you forward a text to 7726, your provider can investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it’s found to be malicious. Report an email you think is a scam - If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk If you've been scammed through the post - Royal Mail investigates postal scams. If you've received something in the post you think is a scam, send it to 'Freepost Scam Mail'. Include the envelope it came in and a completed scam mail report. You can download a scam mail report from Royal Mail or call them and ask for a form and pre-paid envelope If the scam involves financial services - If the scam involves cryptocurrency, investments, insurance or pensions, report it to the Financial Conduct Authority - 0800 111 6768 Friends Against Scams is a National Trading Standards Scams Team initiative, which aims to protect and prevent people from becoming victims of scams by empowering people to take a stand against scams. Online learning available https://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/training/friends-elearning
 Fraud can affect anyone within the community, so we want to make sure you have the tools and knowledge to protect yourself from it. It comes in many different forms and across varying channels, whether that's through emails, phone calls or in person encounters. Some adults may be even more vulnerable to fraud or financial abuse, but it is something that everyone can be at risk of. If you’re concerned about someone you know, please contact your local social services and ask for Adult Social Care. Please see a few resources below to protect you and others from potential fraudsters: For more information and help and to report fraud, go to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre. Lastly, if you think you’ve uncovered a scam, been targeted by a scam or fallen victim to fraudsters, please contact 101 or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or online at Action Fraud. We are working on our brand-new strategy for how we police London and we want your help. Our New Met for London: Phase 2 strategy will guide how we deliver on behalf of Londoners over the next three years. |
