Current frauds and scams in County Durham

The impact of fraud can be huge, ranging from unaffordable personal losses, to impacting the ability of organisations to stay in business.

Criminals net billions of pounds every year with fraud and scams that are often targeted at the elderly and other vulnerable members of our community.

These can come in many shapes and forms and fraudsters are always looking for new ways to fool their victims. Make sure you and your loved ones are aware of the scams below to avoid being caught.

Current fraudulent activity and scams

Carwow

Our Trading Standards officers have been made aware of an ongoing nationwide scam that is taking place online, mainly on Facebook Marketplace.

Fraudsters, pretending to be the legitimate London based company, Carwow, have been advertising motor homes and camper vans.

They are using a variety of business names, including Carwowcampers, Carwowcars, Carwowcampervans and carwowmotorhomes - none of which are associated with Carwow.

The vehicle will be listed as if being sold by a private seller who will direct the victim to one of the fake businesses above. The victim will be given an address of where they can collect the vehicle but are asked to pay for it up front.

When the victim arrives, the address is either empty or belongs to a different business and the Facebook accounts they have been interacting with have disappeared.

We know addresses at Meadowfield Industrial Estate have been used by the fraudsters, but, as far as we are aware, no-one in County Durham has fallen victim to the scam.

• If a camper van, motor home or vehicle is online for sale and you are directed to one of the named businesses or similar, do not engage any further and report this to Durham Constabulary and Citizens Advice.
• If you are not allowed to view the vehicle, do not engage.
• If the price is too good to be true, more than likely it is.
• If you're asked to pay for something online (particularly in full) via a bank transfer, you should think twice about making the purchase. No one should expect to pay that much online via transfer, it's a massive risk.
• Always check seller's profiles thoroughly before going through with a deal. You should be able to view their ratings and reviews, other listings, and Marketplace activity. If the user is not local to the area or has an empty profile, that may be a warning sign that they are not who they say they are.
• Always stay on guard against any requests for information a buyer or seller doesn't need.
• If you need to pay a deposit or in full when purchasing an item online, use a credit card as you will be covered over the value of £100 under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

Winter fuel payments 

Beware of text messages from telephone numbers beginning with +485, claiming to be from us, and providing a link to claim a winter heating subsidy benefit. These texts are not from us and appear to be a scam. 

New NHS dentists opening up

Beware of fake Facebook posts claiming new dentists are opening up across County Durham offering NHS treatments. Never click on any associated links and do not input any financial information to secure a place at the dental surgery. 

QR code to pay for parking

Our car parks do not have any on or off street parking place that is payable by QR code. Payment is only accepted at the payment machine via cash or bank card (contactless/insert) or on the PaybyPhone app or website. If you witness a QR code in any of our car parks or parking place, please Contact Parking Services. We will investigate and inform the police. It is essential that customers do not pay via this method, and if you are unsure please call the contact which is detailed on every parking machine and tariff board.     

Outstanding parking fines

Be aware of an 'outstanding parking fine' scam with a link to a 'gov' phone number. The link asks you to pay £20. If you receive the text - do not pay or click on the link. If you have already paid then we suggest contacting your bank to seek a resolution. We do not contact vehicle owners by text. If you receive a parking fine, a sticker with relevant contact details will be placed on your car and/or you will receive a letter. More advice on this scam is available from Which scam alert: new parking fine scam text.

HMRC 'tax refund' scam email

Action Fraud has warned of an increase in emails impersonating HMRC which tell you you're owed a tax refund. These emails lead to fraudulent sites and ask for your personal and financial information.

Broadband call scam

Watch out for scam callers claiming to be from BT or Virgin Media asking for information about your internet routers or internet connection issues. Be on your guard as they may try to get personal information from you and also financial details.

Penalty Charge Notice scam

We are aware that there is currently a scam text message being circulated informing people that they have an outstanding Penalty Charge Notice (PCN). We will never send a text message asking you to pay a PCN.

If you receive a text message:

• do not make any payment and do not provide your bank details
• delete the text message

If you believe you have been a victim of this scam, report the matter to Action Fraud. You can report scam websites to the National Cyber Security Centre and texts can be forwarded to 7726. PCNs are issued on the spot by Enforcement Officers or by post with details provided by the DVLA. A Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) will only either be attached to the window screen of the vehicle in a yellow packet or will be posted to the address of the registered vehicle owner. The PCN will have a reference number that will ONLY start with DU. 

Netflix scam email

Look out for emails impersonating Netflix, telling you that 'your membership expired today' and urges you to click the link to enjoy 'one year for free'. The link will lead you to a fraudulent website where you'll be asked to share your personal details.

Help protect yourself and others

• Be aware of people offering loans and finance. If you don't recognise the company you can check if they are authorised to lend money on the LoanSmart
• Don't be rushed into making a decision. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is
• Only purchase goods from legitimate retailers and take time to think before parting with your money or personal information
• Don't assume everyone is genuine. It's okay to reject, refuse or ignore requests. Only criminals will try and rush or panic you
• If someone claims to represent the council or a charity, ask them for ID. Be suspicious of requests for money up front. If someone attempts to pressurise you into accepting a service they are unlikely to be genuine. Check with family and friends before accepting offers of help if you are unsure.
• Join our Fraud and scams mailing list for email notifications on anything new you need to look out for. The email notification is distributed typically once a month and includes an email address you can use to unsubscribe at any time.

To learn more about the different types of scams visit Friends Against Scams: online learning.