Fraud is a criminal act to deceive someone, usually to take assets.

There are many words used to describe fraud, including scam, con, swindle, extortion, sham, double-cross, hoax, cheat, ploy, ruse, hoodwink and confidence trick.

Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations and the police. They spend hours researching scams, hoping people will let their guard down for just a moment. It is important you understand the risks and the latest scams to avoid being a victim.

You can find out more about the different types of fraud on Action Fraud’s A-Z of Fraud.

Fraudsters are constantly adapting and find new ways to scam people and it’s important to keep up to date with current scams.

You can find details of the latest scams here:

• News from Action Fraud, the national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre
• Which? magazine’s latest consumer scams list
• HSBC latest scams list
• Halifax latest scams list
• Barclays latest scams warnings

You can sign up to receive alerts about scams in your area on the Action Fraud website.

What is cyber based fraud?

Cyber crime is a global threat. It’s a criminal activity that uses a computer or the internet to target victims. Cyber criminals seek to exploit human or security vulnerabilities in order to steal passwords, data or money directly.

The most common cyber threats include:

• Hacking – including of social media and email passwords
• Phishing – bogus emails asking for security information and personal details
• Malicious software – including ransomware through which criminals hijack files and hold them to ransom
• Distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks against websites – often accompanied by extortion

How to prevent cyber crime

According to the National Crime Agency, most cyber attacks could be prevented by taking these basic security steps:

• choose strong passwords and don’t reuse them for multiple logins.
• install security software such as anti-virus and two-factor authentication.
• keep all security software and operating systems updated

Reporting Cyber Crime

For further advice on how to stay safe online please visit Cyber Aware, Get Safe Online or the National Cyber Security Centre.

If you are a victim of cyber crime please report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s fraud and cyber crime reporting centre.

• always remember – if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• keep your personal information safe. Never give anyone your bank PIN or National Insurance number and shred or tear up any letters that include your personal details — don’t just throw them in the bin.
• change your passwords regularly and make them as complex as you can remember. Install the latest anti-virus protection on all your devices.
• Be suspicious of ‘cold callers’ — anyone trying to sell you goods or services on your doorstep or over the phone where you haven’t asked them to make contact. If you have any concerns, tell them politely but firmly that you’re not interested and close the door or put the phone down. Never get drawn into extended conversation, as fraudsters will use that ploy to try to persuade you to buy goods, often against your better judgement.

If you believe you are the victim of fraud, you can report the incident to Action Fraud. Visit actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040 to log your case.

Fraud – Victim Support can help you fill out forms and connect you with services and networks.