Beware of Gift Card Scams !!

Good afternoon Resident, 

I hope you're well. As one of the Neighbourhood Police Officers for Watford Central, I am writing to residents in the local vicinity to advise of some recent reports of gift card scams in the area. I know this is a longer-than-usual message, but please do read on to learn about this scam and how to protect yourself and your loved ones from it. 

Unfortunately, some scammers and fraudsters are using gift cards as a means of stealing money from victims. I am going to outline some phrases that have been used by scammers to gain the trust of the victim before stealing their money. We want to make it very clear that no genuine business would ask for any payment to be made via gift cards so please report any scam calls or texts as detailed below. 

In a recent report to Police, one incident took place with the scammer texting the victim from an unknown number stating that they had won a large sum of money and a payment is required to process the transaction. Other scenarios include stating that the victim is due to receive a high-value parcel in the post and, in order to receive it, the victim would need to pay for petrol for the delivery van. Some scammers are even resorting to use AI (Artificial Intelligence) images to convince the victim of their authenticity. The following quotes were written in a message exchange between a recent victim and an unknown scammer: 

“How old are you”;

“Do you live alone”;

“I completely understand the importance of trust, especially in online connections. I’ve had share of negative experiences with scams, and I know how disheartening it can be. That’s why I volue honesty and openness in my interactions if there’s anything specific you’d fike to know about me to discuss to build trust, please feel free to ask. I’m here to be transparent and genuine. Looking forward to continuing our conversation” 

Scammers will go to any length to prove to their victims that they are genuine. However, notice the spelling errors in the above message which create doubt as to the genuineness of the sender. Likewise, scammers may ask intrusive or personal questions at the start of a conversation to assess their victim/target and their vulnerabilities. Please do not give personal information away to unverified or unknown numbers. Do not feel rushed into any transactions as scammers will often push victims to hand money over leading to victims losing hundreds of pounds. 

How to Report a Scam Text: 

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.

What to do if money has been stolen following a fraud incident: 

If you've lost money or have been hacked as a result of responding to a phishing message, you should report it via: https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ or call 0300 123 2040. 

When to call the Police: 

Report Fraud is the UK's National Centre for reporting incidents of Cyber Crime. 

However, if you are in immediate danger or face-to-face with someone who is trying to coerce money from you, call 999. An example of this could be if fraudsters come to your house and demand an unreasonable amount of money for urgent roofing work; or if you see someone forcing another to withdraw money from a bank for them. 

Please remain vigilant of such scams and check in with your family, friends, and neighbours who may be vulnerable to receiving such scams. 

If you have any questions or concerns about this topic, please feel free to ‘Reply’ to this message and one of the Neighbourhood Team will be in touch with you shortly. If you found this message useful, please click the ‘Rate’ button at the bottom of this message. 

Many thanks for reading until the end. Have a lovely week, 

PC Fiona Hitchcock.