2 International Students based in Northern Ireland scammed out of £105,000

When it comes to online scams – most people think it will never happen to them.

Unfortunately online scams are on the rise and a topic which we regularly cover in our blog as well as in our in-person educational programs in schools and with health organisations.

More recently PSNI have issued an alert to students after two International Students based in Northern Ireland were scammed out of £105,000.

One of the students was contacted by a scammer posing as a chinese Police Officer who asked the student to transfer funds to the value of £70,000.   Another student was contacted by someone claiming they were the Chinese Embassy and threated with prison if they did not transfer £35,000.

Gerard Pollock from the PSNI who chairs Scamwise NI Partnership, said, ‘Sadly, this is a new version of a scam we have seen before, where fraudsters pose as police officers or government officials to con people out of money’.

In both of these examples the victims were contacted by phone from the fraudsters.

The reality is that there are many different scams in which people can fall victim to in online spaces and some are easier to spot than others.  Some happen quickly and others play out over a much longer period – allowing the swindler or fraudster to develop and build a relationship and level of trust with the unsuspecting victim.

What is clear is that scammers are using a combination of simple to ever more advanced tactics in order to carry out their scams.  It’s important for people to remain vigilant especially in relation to any calls they receive and answer from suspicious numbers.

Here are some tips on how to avoid scammers

• Don’t reveal personal details – never give out personal or financial information. Even if someone is claiming to work for your bank, always remember your bank will never ask for your pin number or password.
• Don’t call back strange or suspicious numbers.
• Delete any text messages asking you to send personal information or bank account details.
• Don’t click on links within text or WhatsApp messages you receive – or reply to messages from a sender whom you don’t know.
• Never allow application or files to be installed from unknown sources particularly on smartphones/tablets.

Remember if it’s too good to be true then it often is.

The goal for swindlers and fraudsters is always money. So always consider the motives for any request you receive online, asking for money, via a social media post or message.

Remember these individuals are skilled and will go to great lengths to build your trust in them and convince you that you are in a genuine relationship before asking for money. They are experienced in how to manipulate, persuade and exploit so that requests for money that do not raise alarm bells.

Stay safer online

Wayne

Found this article useful?

Remember to share it with your family & friends.