BAFTA nominated actor Simon Callow has sat down for a spooky story time – to warn Brits about the different types of scams and frauds they could fall foul of.
The 73-year-old star has taken on a new role, as he teams up with NatWest to share a series of horror stories based on real-life scams, and those who have fallen victim to them.
It comes as a poll of 2,000 adults revealed millions have been targeted by, or fallen foul of, fraudsters – with over a third (37%) having sent money to someone they've met online.
And more than half of these victims (52%) were left too embarrassed to tell their friends what they had done.
One in four fraud victims have been singled out while looking for love online – while phone call phishing, and cryptocurrency scams, are among the other top types of scam Brits are most likely to fall for.
The survey was commissioned by NatWest, who have partnered with Simon Callow on the release of “ The Scammer House of Horrors ” – a free, downloadable book that aims to warn the nation about the dangers of fraud this Halloween.
Simon Callow said: “It’s frightening how advanced scams have evolved to be. I find it increasingly difficult to stay savvy to the dangers.
“So it’s more important than ever that we as a nation continue to educate ourselves on the new types of scams emerging, so as not to be taken advantage of.
“As someone who very nearly fell victim to these sophisticated scamming procedures, and knows someone who lost their entire life savings, I’m extremely happy to be helping NatWest in its mission to educate the public, and allow everyone to keep their finances safe.”
The study also found just one in five adults (22%) know what money muling is – a type of money laundering where someone transfers cash illegally on behalf of others.
And less than a third (29%) feel they would be able to identify the signs of invoice redirection fraud, and more modern scams such as cryptocurrency investment.
Over a quarter (28%) are not doing everything they can to protect themselves against fraudsters, using the same password for all devices and personal accounts.
As technology advances and scams become trickier to spot, 60% have been approached by a scam on social media – and three-quarters believe social media giants should do more to stop fraudulent activity happening on the platforms.
A third (33%) have also seen a celebrity advertising an investment product that promises high returns – and 47% of those looked further into it and made the investment, according to the OnePoll data.
But one in five (21%) felt more confident in an investment opportunity if it was fronted by a famous person.
Stuart Skinner, fraud and scam expert at NatWest, said: “We are living in a digital age, in which fraudsters have more outlets than ever to take advantage of unsuspecting people.
“We have created three horror stories based on real-life scams, which contain common phrases and actions used to manipulate victims.
“It’s terrifying that these stories are drawn from real-life cases, but we hope it helps others to be equipped with the knowledge to spot and stop these scams themselves.
“That’s why we’ve teamed up with Simon Callow, a target of a potential scam, to help people avoid losing any of their hard-earned money in the future.”
TOP 10 TYPES OF SCAMS BRITS HAVE BEEN TARGETED BY...
- Phishing
- Smishing
- Identity fraud
- Postal scam
- Romance scam
- Unauthorised use of one of my cards
- Investment/cryptocurrency scam
- Approached at home regarding building/renovation work that I didn't ask for
- Invoice redirection fraud
- Money muling
