WEEKLY FRAUD UPDATE FROM WEST MERCIA POLICE - ECONOMIC CRIME UNIT - 18/12/2025"

SOCIAL MEDIA PRIVACY

Harmless activities on social media are fun to do, and you enjoy knowing how others react to your posts and sharing your family pictures, activities, and memories.

It may make you feel special when many people react to your posts, share them on their profiles and follow you. However not all details remain confined to your immediate connection but may get shared with a chain of “friends”.

So, this Christmas, when you share all the news and images of your social life, always think twice about who you want to see it. 

Whilst all these posts are harmless and fun for your real friends and everything you post may be seemingly harmless and unimportant, to the criminal and fraudster it is a treasure trove from which they can harvest so much personal detail to build up a persona which may come back to scam you later.

How to protect yourself?

Do not let criminals spoil your Christmas.

ACTION FRAUD HAS CHANGED

As from the beginning of December, the new service is called REPORT FRAUD and replaces Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

This is aimed to make reporting cyber crime and fraud easier and quicker and provide more feedback to victims.

The contact details are listed below for your information.

Please feel free to share these messages with any vulnerable friends, relatives, or neighbours.

If you have been a victim of fraud

Report it to REPORT FRAUD on 0300 123 2040 or via reportfraud.police.uk

Scam Text messages can be forwarded to 7726 to help phone providers take prompt action and block numbers that generate spam on their networks.

You can also report fraudulent mobile calls by texting 7726 with the word “Call” followed by the fraudster’s phone number.

Scam calls received on WhatsApp can be blocked by opening the chat with the suspect phone number and tap on “Block”.

Forward Fake Emails received to report@phishing.gov.uk

If you think your bank account or personal banking details have been used fraudulently, then use the short phone number - 159 - to contact the Fraud Prevention Department of most major UK banks.