Scams

Download our leaflet How to recognise a scam (pdf 500 kb), or the Scambusters leaflet (798 kb).

Are you a scambuster? Find out by trying our quiz.

Can you win money now?

Play our interactive phishing and spam scam games for tips on how to recognise internet scams and how to avoid them.

See what our experts have to say on a scams webchat.

Listen out for our radio advert - download and play it in mp3 format (250 kb) using Windows Media player or Real player.

Listen to advice from OFT scams expert Mike Haley - download and play in mp3 format (3.2 mb) using Windows Media player or Real player.

Check out the rest of these pages to make sure you don't get caught by the scammers.

Scambuster! Your guide to beating the scammers

A scam is a scheme designed to con you out of your cash.

There's a scam out there for everyone. If you let down your guard and think that you won't be fooled, then you too could become a victim. 

Scammers are becoming more sophisticated and aim to con us all. Deceptive premium rate competition scams, bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, get-rich quick schemes and fake health cures are some of the favoured means of separating the unwary from their money. And the number of scams just keeps on growing.

You should report scams to groups listed on the contact page. No matter how small the amount of money you have lost. It is important that the scamsters are stopped.

Read the scams pages to find out more about how to protect yourself.

How to recognise a scam - is it too good to be true?

THE CON

How scam artists succeed - they will:

• catch you unawares, contacting you, without you asking them to, by phone, email, post or sometimes in person
• sound pleasant, well spoken and kind (on the phone or at your door) and want you to think they're your friend
• have slick, professional leaflets and letters
• be persistent and persuasive
• rush you into making a decision
• ask you to send money before you receive their tempting offer or win.

New scams from the UK and overseas appear every day - so it's important to know how to spot them.

THE PITCH

They offer you something for nothing - such as:

• you've won a major prize in a draw or a lottery (even though you haven't entered one)
• an exclusive entry to a scheme that's a surefire way to make money
• a way to earn easy money by helping them get untold millions out of their country
• the chance to join an investment scheme that will make you huge amounts of money.

There are hundreds of examples but we can all protect ourselves by being sceptical. Is it likely that someone you don't know, who has contacted you out of the blue, will give you something for nothing?

THE STING

They'll ask you to:

• send money up front - an administration fee or tax, the list is endless but it's always a ruse to get you to give them money
• give them your bank, credit card or other personal details
• ring an expensive premium rate number (all UK premium rate numbers start with 090)
• buy something to get your prize.

They will lie to you and give you what seem to be good reasons why you should do what they say. They will answer all your objections.

Don't send any money or give any personal details to anyone until you've checked that they are genuine, and talked to a professional or family and friends.

If they ask you to do any of these things they're trying to cover their tracks and get your money and it's likely to be a scam.

Other things to look out for:

• they ask you to send money straight away
• they give you a PO box number as their address
• they ask you not to tell anyone about the deal.

Use the links on the right to find out about some of the most common scams, and how to report any scams you come across.