With email and phone cons hitting record levels here’s how to keep tricksters at bay

PHONE and email scams are hitting record levels.

In the last month 2.5 million UK homes received a scam call. That’s why it’s more important than ever to know what to look out for and be armed against the fraudsters.

To help Sun readers be more scam savvy we’ve teamed up with TalkTalk to show you the five most common tactics scammers will use to get you to part with your cash and personal information.

1. Pretend to be from a well-known brand
   Mentioning the name of trusted organisations such as banks or utilities companies means you’re likely to believe the call is genuine.
2. Get you to share important information
   By revealing a piece of personal information, the fraudster encourages you to share other details that they could then use to put you at risk.
3. Convince you there’s a problem
   Scammers often describe an issue that doesn’t exist. Any other time it may ring alarm bells but because they’ve caught you on the hop, you may believe them.
4. Force you to rush and panic
   They’ll say they want to talk to you about a problem that needs immediate action. By adding a sense of urgency it means you won’t have enough time to question them.
5. Make the call sound genuine
   Bringing another person into the conversation, playing the background noise of a busy office or just reminding you of the big brands they represent are all techniques to make the call sound credible.

If you’ve fallen victim to a scam, you should report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre, on 0300 123 2040 or actionfraud.police.uk

WHAT’S YOUR SCAM IQ?
FIND out just how well your scam-busting skills add up and where you could benefit from a few safety tips by taking the TalkTalk Scam IQ Test. Go to