Consumer scam alerts - Norfolk County Council This website gives information on numerous scams that are currently circulating and on rogue traders. I am also attaching a press release from Public Protection Partnership and a link to the Care Services Directory: https://www.carechoices.co.uk/publication/berkshire-care-services-directory/ People with a Gmail account are being warned about a new scam that could lead to their data being stolen and used without their permission. The scam involves an email that is being sent around with scammers posing as Google and persuading users to click malicious links, resulting in sensitive data being stolen. Experts are urging Gmail users to be vigilant and look out for the warning signs. On Facebook, you might see on the top right section some "Sponsored" boxes inviting you to click on them. Recommend that you don’t especially the ones that suggest someone has been "looking at you silently". They can sometimes if you click on them, cover your page with a popup that mostly covers the screen, inviting you to log on again as it suggests your page has been compromised. If this does happen, don't log in. It is a scam to get your log in details. Turn off your computer, which you can do by using Ctrl+Alt+Del and the screen will allow you to select Shut down or Restart which will resolve this. A local resident has been conned by a man and a woman offering garden services. The man called at their house in Priory Road, Newbury, saying that he had done some work for one of our neighbours and wondered if there were any gardening jobs that he could do for us while he was in the area. I told him that our lawn needed attention and he quoted £220 to reseed it. As he was starting work immediately — the woman was already raking away some weeds and moss — I agreed to pay in advance and did so by bank transfer. He then said he needed to go and buy the seed and the pair of them disappeared never to be seen again. He is a large man, bald and bearded, but the only clue as to their identities is that the bank transfer was made out to Diana Tulici at the Monzo Bank. Because he wanted to be paid by bank transfer, they had a name to work with and his wife has managed to find out details about this con man through Facebook and other websites. His name is Herbert Bowers and his wife’s maiden name is Diana Tulici and they have been operating their nasty little con tricks for some time in a variety of different locations. they were operating in the Surrey village of Bookham. There have also been reports from Reading and Swindon among other places. The police say that they can easily find out where they live but will not pass that information to the resident and there is no guarantee they will take any action. Good tradesmen NEVER cold call even if they are working at a neighbour’s (these clearly were not). NEVER pay for anything up front either. Watch out for a new scam. A PCN (parking charge notice) sent via SMS. PCNs always come by post. If you get a text like this and it is asking you to enter your registration then it is likely a scam. Social media deepfake scams are back Deepfake scam videos are created using artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate footage. And we've found five new deepfake videos of celebrities peddling a phoney investment firm called Quantum AI – a scam we've seen before.
This scam works by luring people in on social media with promises of making you quick and easy cash, only to leave victims out of pocket when they can’t withdraw returns or get their investment back. See the latest examples we've found so you know what to look out for. New fraud protections you should know about The Fraud Minister, Lord Hanson, has laid out the government's Fraud Strategy, which will invest £250m over the next three years to tackle fraud in the UK.
See some of the key measures the government will be taking to protect you from scams, including a new online crime squad that will unite the police, intelligence agencies, banks, mobile networks and major tech firms. A scam text which says that your delivery failed due to a signature being required provides a link to reschedule the delivery. This link leads to a convincing Evri copycat site complete with up-to-date logos and branding. Entering your personal information into sites like these leaves you vulnerable to being scammed in the future, as fraudsters can use these details to make their scams more convincing. Scammers are impersonating the police Recent tactics to be aware of include scammers impersonating the police, and creating fake crime reference numbers in an attempt to steal your personal and financial details. See the full list, based on your reports to Which? Scam Action Alerts Facebook community and scam sharer tool. Scammers are attempting to con shoppers using fake websites, including imitations of Amazon, Boots and Tesco sites, Which? is warning. Some of the sneakiest fake websites closely impersonate known brands to con unsuspecting victims using a tactic known as 'typosquatting'. This is when a website address is so closely mimicked that it looks legitimate. Typosquatting typically includes the brand name to trick you into thinking you’re clicking the genuine website. Tech company Decodo identified over 28,000 dodgy website addresses in January 2026, and found Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Gemini, and ChatGPT to be among the most impersonated brands. We've collected some examples so you can learn how to spot a fake site, plus our experts share six warning signs to look out for. Scareware is a type of scam that sees pop-ups appear on your phone, tablet or computer screen, which say that your device has been infected with viruses or malware. These messages are designed to cause panic and trick you into clicking on a link to a malicious website or downloading rogue software onto your device. To avoid getting caught out, see the steps you should take if you experience this. You can spot websites impersonating legitimate brands by looking out for: · Unofficial website addresses – look closely for typos in web addresses; this is how scammers catch you out. · Newly created websites – using a domain checker like who.is can tell you when the website was created, a newly created website should raise alarm bells. · Prices and opportunities that sound too good to be true – be wary of flash sales or heavily discounted goods. · Poor spelling and grammar, or pixelated images and graphics. · Dead links – for example, links such as the ‘contact us’ and ‘about us’ pages that don’t lead anywhere. · No padlock – a padlock next to a website's URL means the site is encrypted, so what you do on it – such as browse or make payments – can't be intercepted. This should always be visible on a trusted website, but don't assume that this sign alone means you should trust the website, as scammers often use website encryption to trick you into thinking your data is safe. If you've lost any money or spot an unauthorised transaction on your account, you should contact your bank immediately using the number found on the back of your card. Scams should be reported to Report Fraud, or by calling the police on 101 if you live in Scotland. If you do not have a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in your road and can set one up for me please, I can forward you more details. A scheme can be anything from 5 properties upwards and the main role of a Coordinator is to circulate the Alerts on crimes and scams to your neighbours either via email or posting on a WhatsApp or Facebook Group for your area. You will receive free signs, stickers, leaflets and discounts for your neighbours.
I can be contacted via my e-mail address: ajmy5m7@gmail.com or by phoning Newbury 40866 / 07774962641. Angela Money BEM Area Representative - West Berkshire Neighbourhood Watch | 
