Action Fraud has reported that over £7m has lost been by more than 2,300 victims of coronavirus-related scams.
Criminals continue to exploit the coronavirus pandemic to defraud innocent members of the public. They are experts at impersonating people, organisations and the police. They spend hours researching you for their scams, hoping you’ll let your guard down for just a moment.
They can contact you by phone, email, text, on social media, or in person. They will try to trick you into parting with your money, personal information, or buying goods or services that don’t exist.
How to protect your business
Stop
if you receive a request to make an urgent payment, change supplier bank details, or provide financial information, take a moment to stop and think
Challenge
it could be a fake – verify all payments and supplier details directly with the company on a known phone number or in person first
Protect
contact your business’s bank immediately if you think you’ve been scammed and report it to Action Fraud
Report fraud and cyber crime to Action Fraud
If you think you have been scammed, defrauded or experienced cyber crime, Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime.
You can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via Action Fraud. For the latest information on coronavirus-related fraud you can follow Action Fraud on Twitter.