Census scam alert
The public is being warned to watch out for scammers who claim to be from census, demanding up to £1000 in fake fines.
Although the census in Scotland is not until next year, there have been reports of households receiving false letters, text messages and emails that claim to be from the census.
These messages are demanding payment of £1000 as a false non-completion penalty fine.
Anyone receiving these messaging should contact Police Scotland on 101 or Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) on 0808 164 6000 or email [email protected].
Protect yourself from scams
Follow the tips on this page to help protect yourself from scams.
Check you are not being phished
Check the email or text link you have received is not a phishing scam. Be careful when opening email attachments as fraudsters are increasingly using attached file links which contain dangerous malware to take personal data off your device.
Watch out for suspicious links
Do not click on any unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact. If you think it’s not genuine it probably isn’t. Trust your gut feeling on it.
Hover before you click
If you’re invited to click on a URL, hover over the link to see if the address will take you to a genuine site. Does it look genuine?
Is it verified?
Check organisations are verified on Facebook and Twitter pages with a blue tick on their status profile.
Block and delete
If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the relevant organisation involved or block the sender and delete the information sent.
How's the spelling?
Look for poor grammar and spelling errors in messages. Fraudsters are notoriously known for using poor English. If you receive a message from a 'friend' informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style and whether it is actually them.
Report it!
If you think you've fallen for a scam, report it to Police Scotland on 101 or Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) on 0808 164 6000 or on their website.
Alternatively, if you want to contact us, please email us at: [email protected]