Police and neighbourhood watch warn Banburyshire residents about number of scams, from free rail travel to children in trouble

Great Western Railway have advised that a scam post on Facebook offering UK residents a year’s free travel for £3 is nothing to do with GWR. Do not click on any link.

A spokesman for GWR told the Banbury Guardian: “This is increasingly becoming a problem for brands. We do report them every time – but it is also critical that individual users use the Facebook reporting function as it helps boost our credibility when we complain.

“We’ve also been in touch with FullFact who provide Meta’s factchecking service, which should also feed into their algorithms to suppress at least some versions of the content. Our internal fraud team are also talking to the police about other angles we can push on.”

Dodging scams is a sad part of everyday life, says Neil Gunnell of Neighbourhood Watch. “There are constant attempts to dupe us into sharing our personal details, or part with our money, with criminals making a small fortune from victims.

“One recent example is fraudsters using QR codes to stick phoney QR codes on parking meters, redirecting people to fake payment apps.”

Another scam that has been shockingly effective has centred on the sending of texts or WhatsApp messages to parents, claiming to be from their children in financial distress. They might claim they have lost their phone and wallet and are using a friend’s phone.

The idea is the parent is sufficiently panicked that they are less likely to ask questions and send the money as soon as possible. If you receive a message from an unknown number, claiming to be from a loved one in trouble, do not panic. Ask questions only the loved one could answer ‒ even just confirming their name or date of birth ‒ and make clear money won’t be sent until they are answered.

Paying your tax in iTunes vouchers – it is a bit scary if you suddenly get a call supposedly from HMRC saying you have not paid enough tax, with the police on the way if you don’t settle your bill.

Alarm bells should go off when the scammers say you can pay through gift cards from your local supermarket. You have to buy them and read the codes to the person on the phone. The scam has been prevalent enough that HMRC has issued warnings about it.

A particularly common scam tactic used against vulnerable people is to turn up on the doorstep and try to talk them into handing over their money. They could pose as representatives of an energy firm and try to talk you into signing up to a cheaper, non-existent deal or they might attempt to push overpriced or fake items onto you, or perhaps even pose as members of the police.

There is some distrust around receiving unexpected calls supposedly from your bank, so this scam focuses on addressing that trust issue.

The scammer contacts you a few times, posing as your bank, letting you know that they had spotted a suspicious payment on your account and stepped in to prevent it. Over a couple of calls, they build trust, giving the impression they are on your side.

There’s another call where the scammer says they need your help catching a fraudster within the bank, and to do that, all you have to do is approve a payment. Even if you do find yourself trusting the person, are they really going to need your help in catching a thief?

To report a scam call received on your iPhone, text the word ‘call’ followed by the phone number to 7726. On an Android phone, text the word ‘call’ to 7726, and you’ll then receive a message asking you for the scam number.

WhatsApp scam calls can be reported by opening the WhatsApp chat with the dodgy phone number and tapping 'block'. You can report the contact by tapping 'report contact' and 'block'.

If you have been scammed, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card and report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

Report suspicious emails to the National Cyber Security Centre by forwarding it to [email protected]. Do not click on links in these emails.

How to report an online advert that you think is trying to scam you – many cyber criminals seek to trick their victims using scam adverts. You might see these adverts hosted on websites, Facebook or while using a search engine or other social media.

These adverts will often look genuine. They might try to hook you in using false celebrity endorsements or by offering goods at a discount. The aim is often to steal money from you, or sell you goods that bear no resemblance to what was advertised.

If you see a suspicious ad in a paid-for space, you can report it to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) (external link)

This includes adverts you see on newspaper websites, search engines or social media.

By reporting suspicious adverts or websites, you reduce the amount of scam emails you receive, make yourself a harder target for scammers and protect others from cybercrime online.

If an advert has pointed you to a suspicious website, you think is trying to scam you, you can report it to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as they have the power to investigate and remove scam websites. It's free to report a suspicious website to them and it only takes a minute.