Fraud awareness and scams advice

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Scams advice

Scams come in many different guises, whether that be on the phone, by post, at the door or online. They all aim to deceive the recipient into parting with large sums of money or personal details, so it is important to be scam aware.

Herefordshire Trading Standards Service work in collaboration with many different partner organisations, including the National Trading Standards Scams Team to help protect consumers and businesses by providing advice and safeguarding known scam victims.

There are a number of useful websites and materials online which provide information and advice on a wide variety of scams, including The Little Book of BIG Scams and advice to help you shop safely online.

To report a scam, or for more advice on protecting yourself or others, please contact Herefordshire Trading Standards Service via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on: 0808 223 1133 or via the Citizens Advice website.

Black open hand showing with gold outline, with words Take Five on palm of hand and To Stop Fraud below handTake Five to Stop Fraud

Take Five to Stop Fraud is a national campaign which offers straightforward, impartial advice that helps prevent email, phone-based and online fraud - particularly where criminals impersonate trusted organisations. Visit the Take Five website for more detailed information and advice.

Fraud Awareness Week

The International Fraud Awareness Week campaign runs every November, but fraud awareness is something we need to be thinking about every week of the year.

Fraud awareness videos

The videos below can give a quick insight into some of the most common types of fraud and what we can do to better inform and protect ourselves.

What does fraud mean to you?

Explore how pressure, opportunity and rationalisation - called the fraud triangle - come together to influence an individual to commit fraud.

Why do people commit fraud?

How internal weaknesses contribute to fraud

Implementing controls to prevent and detect fraud is a necessary part of managing fraud risk. Learn more about how a lack of these controls can contribute to increased fraud loss.​

What is identity theft?

Do you know the common ways identities are stolen and how you can best protect yourself? Take another look in the latest animated shareable video from the ACFE.​

Common computer and internet fraud schemes

Technology is a constant factor in almost everyone’s life, and as technology advances, fraudsters figure out to exploit it for their gain. One way fraudsters get access to computers and systems is through social engineering.​