As part of our new report on the psychology of scams, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20 victims of bank transfer scams. We wanted to learn about the common tools and tricks that led people to be scammed. One of our findings was that scams often occur when victims are emotionally vulnerable, stressed, tired or distracted, leaving them more susceptible to fraud. Further information can be found in the psychology of scams: how fraudsters trick their victims document.

With the cost of living crisis impacting people all over the UK, criminals are taking advantage of the financial hardship and government grants to scam people out of their money. For one in four (24%) of UK adults, losing just £100 would tip them into a serious financial crisis, unable to pay bills, buy food or other essentials. Friends Against Scams has provided advice on what to look out for.

Common HMRC scams to watch out for

The National Cyber Security Centre recently revealed that HMRC scams were the third most reported email impersonation scams. 

Some HMRC scams include emails telling you to update your details, or claiming your details have already been changed. We’ve also seen scammers impersonating HMRC caseworkers over the phone, luring victims into handing over personal information and bank details.

Here are some of the most common HMRC impersonation scams and how to report scam communications. 

A new domestic abuse One Stop Shop will be opening in the new year, exclusively for male victims. In the UK, one in 6-7 men will be a victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime and nearly half (49%) won’t tell anyone due to the shame and stigma of being associated with abuse of this kind (compared to female 19% of female victims). 11% of male victims (7.2% of women) have considered taking their life.

The service will be delivered by Cranstoun Transform, Sutton's provider of domestic abuse services. The One Stop Shop will be launched on Thursday 19th January from 10 am to 1 pm. Everyone deserves a life without domestic abuse. For more information, please visit their website.

Details on venue, dates, and meeting times are available in this flyer.

“Our goal is to make sure that no one goes to sleep on an empty stomach. We will do our best to help where we can from giving out hot drinks to blankets”.

Sutton Night Watch is a registered charity that was set up to support and raise awareness for the homeless people within the London Borough of Sutton and surrounding areas. Our full-time premises is open at 35 Manor Road, Wallington, Surrey which, along with offering food and clothing supplies, offers other services for our users including online access to job/health services, showers, clothes washing facilities, and a full-time kitchen. For details on this charity, please visit their website.