Protect yourself from online scams

Criminals are experts at using technology to commit fraud. They can spend hours researching you and will use any information they find in their scams. They might use phishing emails, cloned websites and fake social media or dating profiles to get your information. They can then use this information to:

  • Contact you and gain your trust, then convince you to make a payment or provide access to your accounts
  • Set up accounts or take out loans in your name
  • Access your accounts directly to steal money

Read on to find out more about online scams and how you can protect yourself.

Always follow the Take Five advice:

  • STOP: Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information. It could keep you safe.
  • CHALLENGE: Ask yourself, 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 been scammed and report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk.

Being mindful of what you share online

  1. Check your online privacy settings and review what information is currently available online.
  2. Be mindful of what personal information you share on social media, online forums or dating apps. Criminals can use any information they can find online in their scams.

These are just some examples of the information criminals might use in their scams: full name, date of birth, home address, email address, phone number, card details and bank account numbers, details of recent transactions, or sensitive documents such as bills from service providers. Even things like the name of your first pet or the road you first lived on, as these could be security questions on your accounts.

Using the internet safely

  1. Avoid clicking on links in emails or messages. Criminals can use these links to capture your information. Always visit an organisation’s website directly from your browser.
  2. Be wary of clicking on adverts from websites and social media. Criminals create convincing adverts that take you through to fake websites to capture your information or encourage you to make a purchase.
  3. Criminals can create fake websites or clone the websites of legitimate organisations. Use Get Safe Online’s ‘Check a website’ tool check whether the website might be a scam.
  4. Check for the ‘closed padlock’ symbol and/or https at the start of a website address – the ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’. These don’t guarantee the website is legitimate or reputable, but they do mean your connection to the website is secure, so any information you enter will be encrypted.
  5. Be cautious of online approaches. Criminals create fake profiles and accounts to reach out to you on social media, apps or forums. They might try to strike up a relationship or offer you an exclusive investment. Keep your guard up against people who contact you online and find out more about romance scams and investment scams.

Keeping your accounts secure

      1. Use strong and unique passwords to protect your online accounts.
      2. Turn on 2-step verification to add an extra layer of security to any accounts that have your personal or financial information.
      3. Use antivirus software on your devices and keep your apps and software up to date.
      4. Don’t use public Wi-Fi to access accounts that have your personal or financial information.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in scams

The National Cyber Security Centre defines artificial intelligence as ‘Any computer system that can perform tasks usually requiring human intelligence. This could include visual perception, text generation, speech recognition or translation between languages.’

Criminals use artificial intelligence, also known as AI, to make their scams more convincing.

  • Deepfake videos: These are videos created using AI to impersonate people. Criminals might deepfake videos of celebrities to sell products or promote investments that are not genuine. They might also use deepfakes in romance scams or to impersonate people you know.
  • Voice cloning: Criminals can use AI to clone the voices of celebrities, colleagues in your organisation or even family and friends to convince you to part with your information or money.
  • Text and language: AI can enable criminals to use language that is more convincing in their scams. Emails, text messages, online messages and even adverts on social media may look more convincing.

More resources to help you keep safe online:

Get Safe Online: https://www.getsafeonline.org/

Cyber Fraud Hub: https://cyberfraudhub.org/

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC): https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online

Scam warning: Criminals may purport to be from Take Five, using our official branding on websites, social media posts, literature, on the phone or by text. Take Five doesn’t provide endorsement or approval for any products/services and would never call or text anyone.