| With the countdown to Christmas well and truly underway, we are warning people to be on their guard against festive season scams. While shoppers look to snap up a bargain we are urging them to take a few simple steps to avoid being ripped off. Fake websites, scam texts and bogus competitions are just some of the tactics fraudsters use. The five scams to look out for over Christmas are: Scam delivery texts and emails – You may get an email or text message saying your package has been delayed and it asks you to click on a link to track its status. This link could lead you to a phishing site that steals your personal information. Malicious texts are where someone clicks on a link and provides information, they may then get a phone call from someone claiming to be from their bank who offers to help safeguard funds by trying to convince someone to transfer money into a bogus 'safe account'. Forward suspicious text messages to 7726 and send scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk Fake and copy-cat websites - The holiday season brings endless emails offering deals, sales, and bargains. Some lead to look-alike websites that trick people into downloading malware, making non-existent purchases, and sharing private information. Authenticate a website by checking the address is spelled correctly. Ideally, type it in rather than clicking on a link, or go to https://getsafeonline.org/checkawebsite Bogus charities - Only donate to trusted, well-known charities. Before giving, check the charity’s name and registration number. You can verify this at the Charity Commission’s website at Search the register of charities Gift Card scams - Fraudsters impersonate one of your email contacts to ask you to buy a gift card for them as a favour. They will typically say they need help buying it as a present as they are too ill, too busy or have an issue with their payment card. The scammer then asks you to share the serial numbers of gift cards to steal the value purchased. If you receive an email asking for personal information or any form of financial help, call that friend or family member on a trusted number and let them know their account may have been hacked Fake social media contests, giveaways and bogus sellers - Social media platforms are full of bargains but are also where scammers lie in wait with too-good-to-be true offers. Fraudsters set up fake pages with offers to catch your eye and encourage you to share. These are designed to "pharm" any personal information that you have publicly available on your own profile. Search for the official page to see if an offer or giveaway is legitimate. Anyone losing money to fraud should contact their bank immediately and also report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 20 40 or at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/ 
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