Dear Resident,

The UK is a hotbed for WhatsApp scams

Data analysed by Revolut has found that between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024, British consumers lost more money to scams through WhatsApp than any other country in Europe.

It also revealed that WhatsApp fraud accounted for one in five of all reported scams in the UK and victims lost an average of £2,437 per fraud incident.

In the second half of 2024, WhatsApp’s fraudulent activity surged by 33% and two of the biggest scams on WhatsApp were job scams, making up half of cases on Revolut, and investment scams, making up four in 10.

You can report a WhatsApp message by selecting it in your conversation and tapping ‘report’.

To report the sender on WhatsApp, open up the chat, tap on the sender's contact details and select 'block and report'.

Phishing Facebook post

A post from a seemingly hacked Facebook account tells you that you can fill out a short questionnaire and get a Sol De Janeiro 'Ultimate Icons' set for £1.95.

The post then includes a phishing link to complete this questionnaire, which will actually take you to a site designed to steal your personal and financial data.

To report a scam post on Facebook, select the three dots on the right-hand side of the page and click ‘report’.

You can report scam websites to the National Cyber Security Centre.

Screwfix scam email

A dodgy email claiming to be from Screwfix tells you that you've won a Knipex backpack tool bag.

The email includes a link to 'claim your reward' which will lead to a malicious website ready to steal your personal and financial data.

Scam emails can be reported by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk.

Malicious websites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre.

If you have been a victim of a scam, then report it to Action Fraud or by calling 03001232040.

Regards,

Brigg NPT