A further 23 million people have been targeted by the scams.
Britain's most widespread scam, according to the new research,
is the automated phone call that invites people to claim a prize.
One third of adults have received one of these calls and two
million have responded, usually by calling a premium rate
number.
The scam has been so successful that the premium rate regulator
ICSTIS has changed its Code of Practice to stop phone networks
making payments to their premium rate service providers until at
least 30 calendar days after calls have been made.
The rule change, which came into effect in September, gives
ICSTIS time to identify breaches of its Code and, where
appropriate, to order phone networks to withhold all payments
pending the outcome of investigations. It can levy significant
fines for breaches.
But premium rate scams are by no means the only successful fraud
targeting British citizens. The survey of 1,050 adults found that
almost eight million people in Britain have seen or received
material promoting international lotteries. People are often too
eager to believe an official-looking letter announcing they've had
a big win, even if they haven't entered.
Con artists often cash in by charging a 'contingency' fee, as in
the case of a Which? reader who was asked to pay £75,000 to
'release' her winnings. The scamsters may also fraudulently use the
bank account details they collect from 'winners' who try to claim
prizes.
Adverts claiming you can 'make thousands without leaving the
house' are also prevalent: over 25% of adults have seen them.
Although not all these ads are scams, Which? reports that job
details can be hard to find and money is almost always requested
up-front for a joining pack.
One work-from-home scheme was nothing more than a suggestion
that recipients copy the pack, place a newspaper advert, and send
the same pack to people willing to pay the up-front fee – so no end
product, just a succession of people scamming money from each
other.
The so-called 'Nigerian 419' email scam, named after the
relevant part of the Nigerian penal code, has been seen by 8% of
people. Scenarios differ, but there is always a large sum of money
waiting to be paid out which, in order to be claimed, requires
absolute secrecy, a foreign bank account number and an 'advance
fee'. The victims, of course, never receive any money.
