Social Media is a Fraudsters Paradise!
Social media is a wonderful invention as it not only enables us to keep in touch with friends and family, but it also allows us to be kept abreast with the latest (bingo) news and offers. However, it is a breeding ground for fraudsters and scammers who are looking to rinse your bank accounts of any cash you may have! With social media competitions and giveaways on the rise, so too are scammers and they are using every means at their disposal to extract cash from unsuspecting victims.
To ensure you never fall victim to a scam, never believe everything you read. If a company is claiming to giveaway 10 iPhones or iPads, don’t believe it! Apple themselves wouldn’t giveaway that many so why would anyone else? If a motorhome must be won because the last winner failed to claim it, don’t believe it because that is also not true! Look for the genuine pages, those with verified ticks for authenticity. If there is no company info, no links to a reputable website or no contact info, stay well clear!
Oh, and another thing, if you get the ‘you win, visit my profile to claim’ message, it’s a scam! Never give your payment details to anyone, especially when it comes to social media. Genuine offers and freebies don’t require a payment and should be reported immediately!
Took a Gamble and Lost:
South Yorkshire police worked tirelessly for months on end to jail those behind a sophisticated social media scam and then in October 2021…
…they had a breakthrough. The National Crime Agency informed the police in that area of irregular gambling patterns with an online gambling account and officers from the Financial Crime Investigation Unit (FCIU) decided to take a look.
The investigation revealed that a member of the public had been tricked into handing over payment details in a social media scam which where then used for gambling. The details didn’t reveal what form of gambling took place, it could have been online bingo, sports betting, online casino or a combination of all of these.
The personal details of the victim were used by a money-laundering organization without the owner’s consent or knowledge and as a result, over £70K was held in an online gambling account. The funds were seized instantly and will be used in various local community projects in the South Yorkshire area.
Temporary Detective Sergeant Paul Douglas, from the FCIU, said: “Over the last six months, our FCIU officers have deprived criminal money laundering gangs of over half a million pounds held in fraudulent accounts. Half of this money will now be used by the PCC to support a range of good causes in our communities across South Yorkshire.”
South Yorkshire PCC, Dr Alan Billings, added: “The stress caused by such deception can be overwhelming for individuals who fall victim to these scams and I thank the police’s FCIU for their hard work in achieving this result. I am pleased that many local community projects across South Yorkshire will benefit from the conclusion of this incident.”
Source: “South Yorkshire Police Seize £70,000 Held in Bogus Gambling Account”. Gambling Insider. January 18, 2022.
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