By Dean Dunham – 5 February 2022
A report released by the Treasury Committee says the government is failing to do enough to stop “pernicious scammers” ripping off innocent consumers with fraudulent online adverts, impersonation scams and dodgy crypto investments. It found that it was “easy for fraudsters” to place rogue adverts on social media and other internet platforms because they were not legally required to verify advertisers’ backgrounds. I couldn’t agree more and neither could these readers who have lost thousands of pounds to fraudsters after falling for scams posted online:
Cryptocurrency scam
Malcom from Leeds saw a Cryptocurrency advert online whilst on Facebook. The advert promised impressive returns and this of course captured his attention. He clicked the link and read more of the “sales bumph” as he called it and was convinced that this would turn his £3500 savings into a much greater sum. It was a scam and he lost all his savings.
Diet pill
Debra from Manchester saw a diet pill advertised on Facebook and drawn in as it was apparently endorsed by a celebrity. She made a purchase but soon found out it was nothing but a scam. The pills were not genuine and the celebrity had nothing to do with the fraudsters selling them.
Job search scam
William in North London responded to an advert he saw on Google, after searching for jobs. For a fee of £89.99 the advert promised to review and make recommendations to your CV and locate suitable jobs. Desperate for work William borrowed the money from his mum and signed up. To date he has seen no revised CV and certainly has been put forward for any jobs, it was a scam.
Get rich quick scam
Tracey in Edinburgh fell for a scam on Instagram. She started following a fraudster who purported to be a self-made millionaire all from up cycling old furniture and other items. She posted lots of pictures of her alleged work, telling followers “anyone could do it” and promoting that she was able to teach anyone to succeed with this venture. Tracey made contact and was offered a crash course online for £850. Tracey told me “from the returns she was telling me I would make it seemed like a no brainer to spend £850 to learn the ropes, so I did”. I turned out to be a scam and Tracey lost all her money.
