Gift Card Scams—Have HMRC really contacted you?

Many of us are aware that criminals regularly make telephone calls claiming to be HMRC. Increasingly, they are making these calls claiming that there is a warrant out for the arrest of the recipient and that they are required to pay their ‘outstanding debt’ in order to avoid arrest. However, they proceed to ask the recipient to pay off this debt using gift cards, including Amazon and iTunes gift cards.

Due to the fact that gift cards are relatively untraceable, this proves to be a low-risk, high-reward scam. As recently as this week, four people paid £1,000 each in Peterborough.

What to look out for:

• You cannot pay bills or outstanding debts using gift cards

• Fraudsters claiming to be from HMRC will try to panic you by informing you there is a warrant out for you arrest

• Once the gift cards have been purchased, scammers will ask you to scratch off the back of the gift cards and send them the codes underneath—this is particularly suspicious if they ask them to be sent via platforms such as WhatsApp.

• If you are unsure, hang up, and call back on a trusted number. Never use a number supplied by the person on the phone, and use an alternative phone if possible. Genuine organisations have no issue with you confirming who they are.

If you think you have been a victim of this scam or have received similar calls claiming to be from HMRC, report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at www.actionfraud.police.uk

Now that over 75s have to pay for their TV licence, it is being used as the subject of scam emails demanding payment. TV Licensing do not send such emails, they are contacting people by post. The letter should contain your licence number, title and last name, and will be sent from the following address:

TV Licensing

PO Box 578

Darlington

DL98 1AN

You should receive a letter by the end of September. TV Licensing does send emails. They include your name and/or part of your postcode. they will come from donotreply@tvlicensing.co.uk, or donotreply@spp.tvlicensing.co.uk. They can also phone, using the following numbers:

0300 790 6075

0300 555 0285

0300 555 0355

In case you are unaware, if you have caller display, malicious callers can display any phone number they wish; so, if you wish to be sure that you are speaking to the number shown, ask for the caller's name, and phone them.

To see a real TV Licensing email, and get more information, visit: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ288

Here is an example of a famous person being used for a financial scam. The websites contain events that never happened on morning TV shows, fake Facebook posts and free money etc.

Sir Richard Branson Brings Financial Freedom for ALL UK Residents

By Rose Evans

"You can make money in no time."

Sir Richard Branson told the presenters. "The idea behind the platform is incredibly straight-forward. You deposit £250 or more and the algorithm starts buying and selling Bitcoin! You can make money in no time. It's incredible"

Determined to show the presenters just how easy it was to earn, Branson had Kate Garraway deposit £250 live on the show. They then talked again about the amazing benefits before checking the results at the end of the show. By the end of the interview, Kate has £537 in her account.

Even the studio staff were shocked

Even the studio staff were shocked and one of the cameras wobbled as the cameraman rushed to get his phone out to test it for himself. Even co-host Ben Shepard couldn't believe it and wanted to try it for himself.

Kate and Ben astonished by their easily made profit while trading on Crypto Nation during the show (Image: Major News)

The next day, the presenters revealed that they had both earned over £1000 each. Ben left saying:

"I never thought an interview could be so profitable but the benefits of this amazing bitcoin trading app are incredible. Even Tim our cameraman has been in on the action."

Tim then revealed that he had earned £2198 since the previous show.

To find out how you can earn money thanks to this amazing platform, read the description below.

If you had invested just £100 in Bitcoin back in 2010 you would now enjoy dividends of £75 Million!

Try Crypto Nation Now

We decided to put Crypto Nation to the test, to see if it was really possible for you to make money using the platform.

Here's the deal: We quickly discovered that the platform charges a commission of 2% on profits a user generates and you need to make a minimum deposit of £200 to get started. That money will be your initial investment, which the trading software uses to trade.

Also, we learnt that Crypto Nation makes money by buying when the price goes up AND selling when the price goes down. This is known as short-selling, and the platform handles it for you automatically.

MY RESULTS WITH Crypto Nation AFTER 7 DAYS: I decided to sign up for an account with Crypto Nation, I made the initial deposit £200 and set my account to active.

On the show, Kate was able to make £143.18 in profit after 3 minutes, for me, it took much longer. The platform took 20 hours to generate an £139.19 profit, which still impressed me a lot! I've never purchased Bitcoin before and never made a trade in my life, yet here I was able to generate profits.

I spent about 5 minutes a day checking my results, and after 5 days, the platform had traded up to a massive total of £630. That is a 252% increase in my initial deposit. I was starting to become a true believer in this platform.

After 7 Days my initial investment had traded up to £1,930. At this point, my mind was racing with possibilities of all the things I could spend that money on. This is more money than I made at work for the week and I spent less than 30 minutes checking the platform.

I decided to keep my account active for 15 days in total because I wanted to see how high it could go. My account eventually hit a peak of £6,380.10 but had a negative -£79.51 trade. I looked through my trading logs and discovered that not every trade is profitable, some actually lose money.

The platform isn't magic, but after 70% of my trades were profitable, the net result was I made £6,300.59 from my initial deposit of £200. It took me less than 30 minutes of work a week and absolutely no technical or investing experience.

As you can see from the screenshot below, I decided to use the 'withdraw funds' function to withdraw £6,300.59 from my account.

How I easily withdrew my money from my Crypto Nation account (Image: Major News)

All in all, I was able to make £6,300.59 from using Crypto Nation. I decided to pull my money out to pay for an overseas holiday. When I get back, with the money I've got left over from my holiday, I will definitely reinvest in Crypto Nation. I may even quit my job!

Note: It took 48 hours for my money to be deposited into my personal bank account.

TRY Crypto Nation FOR YOURSELF

Right now, Crypto Nation is allowing our readers to try the platform for a minimum initial deposit of just £200. You can withdraw this amount at any time you want.

Given the massive increase in popularity of the trading platform, this initial minimum deposit may increase!

It is crucial that you sign up for Crypto Nation immediately, as we do not know how many places will be available

You can fund your account via credit card or a bank transfer.

There are three steps to get started:

1. Sign Up For A Free Account

2. Deposit The Minimum £200

3. Use The Bitcoin Trading Platform To Earn Profits

Note: You can withdraw your profits or initial deposit at ANY time by using the 'Withdraw' button inside the platform

Step 1: Enter Your Details To Sign Up For A Free Account

Step 2: Deposit The Initial Minimum Investment Of £200

Step 3: Withdraw Your Profits (or keep them invested to generate more profit!)

Try Crypto Nation Now

Associated Links:

Crypto Nation Official Site

Fraudsters are stealing money from PayPal accounts by posing as friends on Facebook Messenger: https://bit.ly/2QbVRJQ

The following email containing incorrect information is currently circulating. It does not originate from John Hoskings Hospital:>From John's Hopkins Hospital - great
> explanation! Worth the time*
>
*/From John's Hopkins Hospital/*

This Covid-19 virus is not a living organism.It is a protein
molecule (RNA or DNA) covered by a protective layer of lipid
(fat), which, when absorbed by the cells of the ocular (eyes),
nasal (nose) or buccal mucosa (mouth), changes their genetic code
(mutates) and converts into aggressor and multiplier cells.

* Since the virus is not a living organism, but is a protein
molecule, it cannot be killed. It has to decay on its own. *The
disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type
of material where it lies.*

** The covid-19 virus is very fragile; the only thing that
protects it is a thin outer layer of fat and that is the reason
why soap or detergent is the best weapon. The foam CUTS THE FAT
(that is why you have to scrub for 20 seconds or more, to create
lots of foam). By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule
disperses and breaks down.*

* HEAT melts fat; this is why it is necessary to use water above
77 degrees for hand washing, laundry and cleaning surfaces. In
addition, hot water makes more foam, making it more effective.

* Alcohol or any mixture with alcohol over 65% DISSOLVES ALL FAT,
especially the external lipid layer of the virus.

** Any solution with 1 part bleach and 5 parts water directly
dissolves the protein, breaking it down from the inside.*

* Oxygenated water increases the effectiveness of soap, alcohol
and chlorine, because peroxide dissolves the virus protein.
However, because you have to use it in its pure form, it can
damage your skin.

* NO BACTERICIDE OR ANTIBIOTIC WILL WORK because the virus is not
a living organism like bacteria; antibodies cannot kill what is
not alive.

* The virus molecules remain very stable at colder temperatures,
including air conditioning in houses and cars. They also need
moisture and darkness to stay stable. Therefore, dehumidified,
dry, warm and bright environments will degrade the virus faster.

* UV LIGHT on any object that may contain the virus breaks down
the protein. Be careful, it also breaks down collagen (which is
protein) in the skin.

* The virus CANNOT go through healthy skin.

* Vinegar is NOT useful because it does not break down the
protective layer of fat.

* NO SPIRITS, NOR VODKA, serve. The strongest vodka is only 40%
alcohol, and you need a minimum of 65%.

* LISTERINE is 65% alcohol.

* The more confined the space, the higher the concentration of
the virus there can be. The more open or naturally ventilated,
the less.

* You have to wash your hands before and after touching any
commonly used surfaces such as : mucosa (mouth area) , food,
locks, knobs, switches, remotes, cell phones, watches, computers,
desks etc. and don’t forget when you use the bathroom.

* You have to MOISTURIZE YOUR HANDS due to frequent washing. Dry
hands have cracks and the molecules can hide in the micro cracks
The thicker the moisturizer, the better.

* Also keep your NAILS SHORT so that the virus does not hide
there.

*/PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS/*
The message, which has no identifiable connection to Johns Hopkins, includes approximately 20 bullet points, the first of which begins "The virus is not a living organism … ." It is sometimes attributed to a Johns Hopkins doctor, or immunologist, or to "Irene Ken, whose daughter is an Asst. Prof in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University."

The information, which is being widely shared via email and on social media, has been reviewed by the popular online fact-checking resource Snopes and labeled "misattributed." A Johns Hopkins statement says the message "lack[s] credibility."

Peter wasn't on duty, here's John: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz0cEo2h3f8
Many people are not aware of this scam, which has been catching people out for years. No one will ever call to say you have something wrong with your computer.

Beware of a fake web page that tells you that Chrome is out of date. If you click to download the new version, a banking trojan called Chthonic will be installed. It also installs a remote-control program, which gives access to everything that you do.
Chrome will never display that there is an update, as updates are installed when you open Chrome.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53573408

More than 100 data-stealing extensions have been found in the Chrome app/extension store. They are accessing clipboards, log in details, tracking keyboard entries, and taking screenshots. They have been downloaded 32 million times. They were designed to avoid detection by antivirus programs. By now they have all hopefully been removed from the Chrome Web Store.
You should check to see if you have installed any of these. To do this, visit: https://awakesecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GalComm-Malicious-Chrome-Extensions-Appendix-B.txt and leave the tab open. Next, click the Chrome menu (three dots), then More Tools, then Extensions. You will now see any extensions that you have added. Next, to check the extension, click the details button, then look in the address bar to see if the ID at the end of the address is on the list you have open. Delete any extension that is on the list.

Avoiding social media scams: https://assets.neighbourhoodalert.co.uk/images/site_images/62868_July20_SM_Scams_Leaflet.pdf

A new version of FakeSpy has reached Europe. It has been described as one of the most powerful information stealers. It infects Android phones by sending a text message saying that Royal Mail has been unable to deliver a package to you. It says to download what appears to be a Royal Mail app that requests permission to read text messages and ignore battery optimisation, which you click to agree to as usual! You will be sent to the real Royal Mail website.Your phone is now infected, and messages, phone numbers, banking app details will be stolen. It also sends itself to all your contacts.

Post scams of any type. If it is not from personal experience, check its veracity if you can; Snopes.com is a good reference. I shall be posting IT scams as I become aware of them, and you, of course, can do the same.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxignore anything below this line, it is for testing.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Posting guidelines

Help seekers:

If a particular device or operating system (Windows 10 etc, Mac etc.) is the subject of your post, put this at the beginning of the title of your post, so that other members can see if they can help, or if it interests them. If it concerns a phone or tablet, give the make and model number, and, if you can, the Android version (if appropriate) Always give full details of the problem to avoid too much tooing and froing, thus, hopefully, giving you a quicker solution. Don't forget to thank helpers, and please don't post a problem and disappear.

Helpers:

Please bear in mind that this group is to help non-techies. If it is necessary to get techie, explain exactly what it means, or provide a link to a suitable website explaining it in simple terms if possible and/or screenshots.