Staying safe from cyber-crime and scams

Dos and Don'ts

As people worry about their health, families and finances during the Covid-19 pandemic, unscrupulous criminals are taking full advantage of these fears and are preying on members of the public.

As scams that have been around for a while are ‘updated’ to exploit this situation, Leicestershire Trading Standards are warning residents to remain vigilant. This page covers just a few of the various scams currently circulating to be aware of.

Use the menu to the left to view information on scams.

Have you been contacted out of the blue? Unsolicited phone calls and e-mails could be a scam, but can be difficult to spot – here are some dos and don’ts to help you protect your personal and financial information:

  • Don’t respond to messages asking for personal or financial details
  • Don't click on links or attachments in suspicious emails or text messages
  • Do use stronger passwords and set up two-factor authentication
  • Do be suspicious of cold callers asking for information or offering technical support and don’t install any software, or grant remote access to your computer, as the result of a cold call
  • Do challenge - genuine companies would never ask for financial information, passwords or log in details when contacting you
  • Do say no to unwanted, or uninvited callers at the door
  • Do be wise to rogue traders - Too good to be true offers, probably are and if something doesn’t feel right, then don’t agree to anything
  • Do make sure your back door is closed so no one can gain entry whilst you are distracted if someone knocks on your front door
  • Do put the chain on if you decide to open the door
  • Do check any identification – if they are genuine, they will happily wait whilst you close the door and verify the person. Use a number from a bill or telephone directory, do not use the number on the ID card
  • Do not open the door if you are not sure

If you would like to report a scam, you can get in touch with the following organisations:

National Cyber Security Centre - Dealing with suspicious emails, phone calls and text messages

Action Fraud – https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

Citizen’s Advice Consumer Helpline - 0808 223 1133

Advice for individuals, families and businesses - Get Safe Online

To keep up to date with the latest scams’ information and advice, you can follow the Leicestershire Trading Standards Service Facebook page on: https://www.facebook.com/leicstradingstandards