Scams

If you're booking your next holiday, watch out for fake deals, clone websites and bogus cancellations, as criminals are using a variety of sophisticated methods to trick holidaymakers out of their money.

If you got a text message or email from the Metropolitan Police between 4pm and 6pm on Wednesday 17 April – or you get a letter in the next few days – don't ignore it. You may need to take action to protect yourself from fraud. Below we explain how to know if the message is genuine and what you need to do.

Banks will be required to refund most victims of bank transfer scams – known as "authorised push payment (APP)" fraud – from 7 October 2024, under new rules confirmed today (Tuesday 19 December). But you'll still need to be cautious when making a payment, as banks will be able to refuse refunds where you haven't been "sufficiently careful" – and they can charge an excess on claims.

New scam ad protection measures, such as two-click reporting and verification for advertisers, are to be introduced by major tech firms including Facebook, Google and more. The move was welcomed by MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long called for regulation and law changes to help stop online scams – though he cautioned that firms now need to "make good on their promises".

New laws to crack down on online scam adverts, including fake celebrity endorsements, are finally to be introduced. MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) and its founder Martin Lewis, whose name and image are often misused by scammers online, have long campaigned for action on scam ads. But there's still more to be done to protect consumers and it needs to happen soon.

If you're booking your next holiday, watch out for fake deals, clone websites and bogus cancellations, as criminals are ramping up their efforts to trick holidaymakers out of their money this summer.

Social media users will be able to report scams with just one-click under new measures announced by the Government today. Banks will also be allowed to delay payments they believe to be suspicious, while cold calls on all financial products will be banned as part of a host of new measures designed to help tackle fraud. 

An investigation by the BBC appears to have uncovered the people behind a plague of scam adverts featuring MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis, as well as others. The BBC says many of the ads are run by a single global network of scammers, while nearly a third of UK victims told the BBC they were lured in because the ads featured Martin.

Watch out for fake emails claiming to be from MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) using the website name 'mseoptions.com'. The firm wants people to enter their personal details about investment opportunities but DO NOT do so. It is NOT associated with MSE and should be ignored or reported.

If you get a text message from the Metropolitan Police in the next 48 hours asking for help fighting fraud, don't ignore it. The organisation is sending text messages to 70,000 people who may have been targeted by fraudsters using a sophisticated online tool to spoof the phone numbers of legitimate companies such as banks.