Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a huge increase in scam emails and texts related to shipping or deliveries, as more consumers turn to online shopping.

HMRC have reported a huge rise in scams during the pandemic, having received over one million reports of bogus communications in the last year.

Scottish consumers regularly receive scam calls and text messages, supposedly from their bank, through which scammers try to obtain their account details.

As more people have signed up for online streaming services during the pandemic, there has been an increase in scam phone calls supposedly from Amazon Prime.

Consumers who use PayPal to buy and sell goods online frequently receive scam emails and text messages. 

The aim of the messages is to encourage you to click on a link leading to a copycat PayPal website that asks for your personal and account information.

Scottish consumers regularly report fake competitions, prize draws, voucher giveaways or surveys on social media or in emails, which appear to be linked to well known companies.

Scottish consumers regularly receive scam emails and text messages saying that their TV Licence has expired or that their Direct Debit payment has been declined.

Scam emails and texts often appear genuine and may include official TV Licensing logos and branding. The aim of the messages is to encourage you to click on a link leading to a copycat TV Licensing website asking you to enter your personal and financial information.

So-called “Hello Mum/Dad” scams, where fraudsters pose as a family member in need and send WhatsApp messages asking for financial help. The aim of these scam messages is to convince the target to transfer money to an account which they believe to belong to a family member.

Cold calls where callers pose as staff from telecoms providers such as SKY, Virgin Media and BT are some of the most frequently reported phone scams in Scotland.

The aim of these scam calls is to obtain your personal and banking information and, in some cases, to gain remote access to your computer.

DVLA receive thousands of complaints each year about suspected email, text and web scams.

Scam emails and texts often appear genuine and may include DVLA logos and branding. The aim of the messages is to encourage you to click on a link leading to a copycat DVLA website that asks you to enter your personal and financial information.

As more hospitality and event venues in Scotland are set to open over the next few weeks, demand for limited tickets and
reservations could be high.
Scammers may take advantage of this by advertising tickets which do not exist.

As lockdown restrictions ease, rogue traders might step up their operations.
Doorstep scammers mainly operate during the summer months and go to great lengths to look legitimate.

Scammers frequently pose as IT companies, broadband providers or banks to try to trick people into allowing them to access their computer or other devices remotely.

The aim of these scam calls is to persuade you to give the scammer remote access to your computer or device, which could allow them to hack into your accounts or see sensitive data.

One of the most frequently reported phone scams in Scotland is the misleading sale of insurance or warranties for white goods and appliances.

There is a lot of misleading information about grants and funding for energy efficiency products. Scottish consumers receive more nuisance calls from companies selling energy efficiency products than those in other parts of the UK.

There has been a significant rise in the number of cyber attacks targeting Scottish businesses and people working from home during the pandemic. The aim of most scam emails is to obtain private business information, login details for business accounts or to persuade a member of staff to transfer money to a scammer’s account.