Facebook fakes: Don’t make a Marketplace mistake by buying from a Facebook fake! Facebook Marketplace is full of bargains to be had, but it is now also a place where scammers and rogue lie in wait with too good to be true offers. Once the money is paid, you are then left with no money and no goods, something that is either poor quality, not anything like the advert or worst of all dangerous. One Suffolk resident this week reported that they had sent £150 to an individual via bank transfer for a Go Pro advertised on the Marketplace. As soon as the money was sent the seller blocked the buyer and changed their profile details.
Do you research before agreeing to a purchase.
1 – Look at the Commerce Profile of the person advertising. Do they have the same or similar items listed in locations across the Country?
2 – Does it look like a fake profile? Check the date the account was created. Treat new accounts with caution
3 – Is the price too good to be true?
Do not pay via money transfer. If buying locally, only pay when you have seen the item you are buying. Use a reputable payment service such as PayPal that will help you if you have a dispute with the seller. Avoid paying through the ‘friends and family' method if dealing with a stranger, as this comes with no protection. Use the ‘goods and services’ option instead.
To report a seller on Facebook:
1 - Navigate to Marketplace
2 - Click a listing from the seller you want to report
3 - Click the arrow in the top right of the screen
4 - Click on Report Post or Report Seller
5 - Follow the on-screen instructions
If you need advice about a product that you have purchased, or are concerned about the safety of it, contact us via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
Insulation scam: Report received from a Suffolk resident who had a call from a trader wanting to send an engineer to check their cavity wall insulation. The caller advised that the residents' cavity wall insulation certificate had expired, but they were able to supply a new one for free. When the resident explained that they didn't believe they had a certificate, but that it was covered by a warranty, the caller became aggressive, insisting that the property needs a certificate and an engineer must visit. The resident advised that they were not interested and hung up. The trader called back straight away, again saying that an engineer must visit the property. The resident asked them to stop calling and hung up. The trader called a further two times. Always be wary of any approach made in a telephone cold call. Never give or confirm any personal details, or agree to someone visiting your home, if approached in this manner. If you need advice about cold calling or have agreed to a visit during a cold call contact the Citizens Advice via their consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.
Fake messages: Have you received a message from a friend or family member from a new phone number? One Suffolk mum received a text message believing it to be from her son, when really it was a scammer pretending to be him. The scammer stated that their phone was water damaged after dropping it in the toilet. They called to ask ‘a favour’ but purposely couldn’t be heard, just rustling, to add to the plausibility of their story. The scammer asked the Suffolk mum to pay a bill of £600 for them as they couldn’t access their banking app. She was sent details of a bank account, but instead of paying she called her son on WhatsApp who confirmed it wasn’t him.
Always Stop! Challenge! Protect! if you receive a request for payment after a friend or family member gets in touch on a new number. Be especially cautious if they refuse to speak over the phone or send a voice note but still ask for money.
Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve been scammed and report it to Action Fraud.
Fake NHS text messages: Beware of these fake NHS text messages that residents continue to receive. The messages state that you have been in contact with someone who has Covid-19 and they ask you to order a test kit. The link leads to fake NHS websites that asks for personal information and then payment for the kits. A Suffolk resident received a similar text this week, clicked the link and entered personal and payment details to order a Covid test. Shortly after they received a call from someone purporting to be from the Bank claiming there had been a number of unauthorised attempts on their bank card. The caller explained that the text received was most likely a scam and assured the victim that they will cancel all bank cards and move the money from their current account to a new account. Once the money had been moved, the call ended. The victim then went online to check their account and found a payment of £739 had been paid to a cryptocurrency platform. Report suspicious text messages by forwarding them to 7726 (it's free of charge).
iPhone or iPad: How to forward a text message:
1 - Take a note of the number that sent you the message.
2 - Press and hold on the message bubble.
3 - Tap More.
4 - Select the message or messages you want to forward.
5 - Tap the arrow on the bottom right of your screen.
6 - Input 7726 and send.
Android: How to forward a text message:
1 - Take a note of the number that sent you the message.
2 - Enter the conversation then press and hold on the message bubble.
3 - Tap on the three vertical dots on the top right of your screen.
4 - Tap Forward.
5 - Input 7726 and send.
If 7726 doesn’t work, you can find out how to report a text message by contacting your phone provider.
You can also take a screenshot or screen recording of the text message and send it to the National Cyber Security Centre at report@phishing.gov.uk. Reporting a suspicious text is free and only takes a minute. By reporting, you can reduce the amount of scam texts you receive, make yourself a harder target for scammers, and protect others from cybercrime online.
Zoodle: Have you played Zoodle yet? Between World Zoonoses Day 2022 (6 July) and One Health Day 2022 (3 November), the One Health Poultry Hub website is featuring ZOODLE – a word game inspired by Wordle. Each weekday between these two international awareness days you can pit yourself against ZOODLE to ‘diagnose’ a zoonotic diseases-related word in six or fewer tries. www.onehealthpoultry.org/what-we-do/zoodle/
Recall: Woolroom are recalling three sleeping bags due to a suffocation risk. The neck circumference of the affected models has been found to be too large and not in compliance with the relevant standard. This could lead to the suffocation of the baby if they slip down into the sleep bag and the garment covers their face. This product does not meet the requirements of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. The following sleeping bags are affected:
Woolroom Babywool Sleeping bag – Starry Nights
Woolroom Babywool sleeping bags – Spotty Fun
Woolroom Babywool sleeping bag – Jungle Friends
The products were sold between May 2021 and June 2022. If you have one of the above products please stop using it immediately. Please contact Woolroom to arrange the return of the item and for a full refund on 01780 461217 or email info@thewooroom.com.