Types of fraud

Email fraud

Fraudsters can impersonate someone you know or a high-profile company through unauthorised use of its branding. They try to gain your trust and then trick you into sending them money or buying what is purported to be a real product or service but is fake. Investment products and services are often used for impersonation fraud through fake websites and social media posts.

AI-enabled and deepfake fraud

Fraudsters are increasingly using AI to create convincing emails, messages, and even voice recordings that mimic trusted individuals.

This may include:

• Phone calls that sound like a colleague or family member
• Highly personalised phishing messages with accurate personal details

If something feels unusual, always verify the request through a separate, trusted channel.

Phishing

Phishing is a type of email fraud where you might receive an "official looking" email asking you to return sensitive information by email, or ask you to click on a link to visit a page where you will be asked for personal information.

These scams can be very sophisticated and often the emails are indistinguishable from genuine emails. Some things to look out for include:

• Any part of an email can be faked, including the ‘From’ address, text, any links and any attachments.
• Phishing emails usually have a “call-to-action”, i.e. an urgent request requiring to take immediate action.
• Emails offering financial products with high rewards which seem too good to be true.
• The language used in phishing emails can often be unprofessional.
• The phisher almost always wants your username and login details, or financial account details.
• Some phishing emails attempt to install viruses on your device. If you see a request to install software, ignore it.