Life Savings To A Facebook Advert???
Discussion
Really? Why do what appear to be intelligent people throw money at an obvious scam then hope the banks will bail them out?
"He saw an advert on Facebook for a company called Fiatvisions, an online trading platform offering high returns on stocks and shares,"
" Fiatvisions is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the City watchdog, which warns on its website that the firm “may be targeting people in the UK”
Without telling his wife
" Geoff messaged the scam site to open an account and was told to download Atomix Chat, a communication platform between businesses and customers, so that he could speak to personal advisers, who encouraged his investing."
Honestly! The staff at this great investment can't use phones? Or Whatsapp?
"HSBC said most of the payments were international card payments, which were not covered by the regulatory rules. "
https://www.thetimes.com/money/saving-investing/ar...
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued its initial warning against FiatVisions on March 7, 2022. Looks like Mr Chapman "invested" in 2024.
https://www.fca.org.uk/news/warnings/fiatvisions
"He saw an advert on Facebook for a company called Fiatvisions, an online trading platform offering high returns on stocks and shares,"
" Fiatvisions is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the City watchdog, which warns on its website that the firm “may be targeting people in the UK”
Without telling his wife
" Geoff messaged the scam site to open an account and was told to download Atomix Chat, a communication platform between businesses and customers, so that he could speak to personal advisers, who encouraged his investing."
Honestly! The staff at this great investment can't use phones? Or Whatsapp?
"HSBC said most of the payments were international card payments, which were not covered by the regulatory rules. "
https://www.thetimes.com/money/saving-investing/ar...
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued its initial warning against FiatVisions on March 7, 2022. Looks like Mr Chapman "invested" in 2024.
https://www.fca.org.uk/news/warnings/fiatvisions
I sometimes get frustrated by the amount of checks etc - but then I remember how seemingly intelligent people get scammed and how important the safeguards are.
I can't see the full article, but I don't see why HSBC should refund him.
They provide plenty of warnings / checks he likely didn't read when transacting.
I can't see the full article, but I don't see why HSBC should refund him.
They provide plenty of warnings / checks he likely didn't read when transacting.
It's a fine line sometimes between dim ignorant naive and vulnerable isn't it.
Every so often I see a message in the Finance forum on here from someone asking about something along the lines of what's mentioned here.
There are literally dozens of perfectly reputable sites that will tell you how to invest without needing to go near this sort of thing.
I just don't get it.
Every so often I see a message in the Finance forum on here from someone asking about something along the lines of what's mentioned here.
There are literally dozens of perfectly reputable sites that will tell you how to invest without needing to go near this sort of thing.
I just don't get it.
honest_delboy said:
Funnily enough, me and my online GF Sydney Sweeney were just discussing this.
The one i saw recently was a lady sending £33k to Bradley Cooper the actor. Not sure why a millionaire actor would ping some random on FB to borrow money.
Isn't this how all Oscar-winning actors fund their magnum opus blockbuster? Not long and arduous lunches with investors at The Ivy, but tapping up Brian from next door for his pension savings. The one i saw recently was a lady sending £33k to Bradley Cooper the actor. Not sure why a millionaire actor would ping some random on FB to borrow money.
My Father, even in his later years, was very intelligent but had no common sense whatsoever. He got caught by the Windows scam, long after I thought that one has died a death as everyone knew about it. That cost him £500 and a trashed PC. Then he got involved with a Thai lady (hopefully ...) who he did actually go to Thailand to meet, and spent thousands on, before she wanted him to support the rest of her extended family too, and he bailed. We told him that was a scam from the start, but he insisted it wasn't. He even got done by the Father and Daughter one that had been publicised everywhere. Daughter supposedly messaging from a new number needing money etc etc. Lost £6k to that one before he called me to tell me my "sisters" new phone number. While even a small percentage of people fall for these scams, it will always be worth some lowlife trying it on.Edit: Apologies for the long paragraph. It is formatted properly on my phone ?
Red9zero said:
My Father, even in his later years, was very intelligent but had no common sense whatsoever. He got caught by the Windows scam, long after I thought that one has died a death as everyone knew about it. That cost him £500 and a trashed PC.
Then he got involved with a Thai lady (hopefully ...) who he did actually go to Thailand to meet, and spent thousands on, before she wanted him to support the rest of her extended family too, and he bailed. We told him that was a scam from the start, but he insisted it wasn't.
He even got done by the Father and Daughter one that had been publicised everywhere. Daughter supposedly messaging from a new number needing money etc etc. Lost £6k to that one before he called me to tell me my "sisters" new phone number.
While even a small percentage of people fall for these scams, it will always be worth some lowlife trying it on.
Edit: Apologies for the long paragraph. It is formatted properly on my phone ?
I sometimes imagine seeing some bloke at Le Mans or Goodwood breakfast meet in his supercar and you think, nice chap…wonder how he made his money and perhaps the whole thing is funded by ripping off people with scamsThen he got involved with a Thai lady (hopefully ...) who he did actually go to Thailand to meet, and spent thousands on, before she wanted him to support the rest of her extended family too, and he bailed. We told him that was a scam from the start, but he insisted it wasn't.
He even got done by the Father and Daughter one that had been publicised everywhere. Daughter supposedly messaging from a new number needing money etc etc. Lost £6k to that one before he called me to tell me my "sisters" new phone number.
While even a small percentage of people fall for these scams, it will always be worth some lowlife trying it on.
Edit: Apologies for the long paragraph. It is formatted properly on my phone ?
Archive link: https://archive.is/AuTI9
I can often understand how older people with little knowledge of technology might get taken in by certain scams, but this guy had run a business for many years, presumably with some success, so you'd think he had a bit of common sense.
I reckon he probably realised that it was a scam quite early on, but was then just a passenger because he was unable to face up to the reality, and it was easier to just carry on.
The deletion of the chats is probably irrelevant, because as it says it would show that he was told to lie to his own bank, which any person should realise is "grossly negligent".
I can often understand how older people with little knowledge of technology might get taken in by certain scams, but this guy had run a business for many years, presumably with some success, so you'd think he had a bit of common sense.
I reckon he probably realised that it was a scam quite early on, but was then just a passenger because he was unable to face up to the reality, and it was easier to just carry on.
The deletion of the chats is probably irrelevant, because as it says it would show that he was told to lie to his own bank, which any person should realise is "grossly negligent".
I consider myself a wee bit tech savvy but have nearly been caught out by a scam, which was paying for a weekend break for the family on a website which I followed a link to.
With AI becoming more prevalent it's going to be more commonplace I think.
The honey trap scam is something I'd not fall for, as me and the Mrs share phones and numbers, although she did ask me why my junk mail has so many "erectile dysfunction medication " adverts.
We've both already had the whats'app "Mum I've lost my phone" scam from someone., which is easily countered by a password .
Wife also had her phone stolen in London, and somehow they ordered another one to be delivered to an address via Amazon. Part of me wanted to channel my inner "Bricktop Polford" and visit the address, but discretion is the better part of valour I think.
With AI becoming more prevalent it's going to be more commonplace I think.
The honey trap scam is something I'd not fall for, as me and the Mrs share phones and numbers, although she did ask me why my junk mail has so many "erectile dysfunction medication " adverts.
We've both already had the whats'app "Mum I've lost my phone" scam from someone., which is easily countered by a password .
Wife also had her phone stolen in London, and somehow they ordered another one to be delivered to an address via Amazon. Part of me wanted to channel my inner "Bricktop Polford" and visit the address, but discretion is the better part of valour I think.
Gareth79 said:
Archive link: https://archive.is/AuTI9
I can often understand how older people with little knowledge of technology might get taken in by certain scams, but this guy had run a business for many years, presumably with some success, so you'd think he had a bit of common sense.
My FIL got caught and he'd been a senior director in a global company. I think it was because he was used to listening to pitches and he also had a "don't sweat the small stuff" mentality, such that if the initial request was for a small amount then he'd just say yes.I can often understand how older people with little knowledge of technology might get taken in by certain scams, but this guy had run a business for many years, presumably with some success, so you'd think he had a bit of common sense.
His was pretty simple - "BT" calling, telling him they could improve his broadband with a free router upgrade, then asking for a payment for delivery. Even if I thought it was real I'd have refused to pay for delivery but if he ordered stuff online he always paid for next day delivery so he cheerfully handed over his card details. They tried to take further payments but thankfully NatWest blocked them.
Of course his family (including me) were pretty hard on him - he felt so stupid that he tried to commit suicide.
They obviously go on some sort of list as he got loads of investment scam calls afterwards.
An Indian woman calls me and tells me she is from Amazon, and I am to check my Amazon account because someone is trying to buy items from my account. I checked and sure-enough, there was an iPhone already bought which I was able to easily cancel. While I was cancelling that, other items appears in my basket which I was able to delete.
I couldn't work out how this scam was going to work because the delivery address remained my own.
Anyway, she then says she can help but is unable to access my account because of "internal Amazon security" so I need to download Anydesk from the Google store onto my phone to allow her access. Obvs I was already triggered by the Indian accent and all the activity in my Amazon basket so when she mentioned Anydesk - a product I already know - I recognised it was a scam. However, there was real activity on my account and I was already flustered by the work I was doing at that time (I was in the loading bay of a data centre trying to get a few HP Blade enclosures into the building) so I didn't want to let her go completely until I had got myself up to speed.
To buy time, I told her my phone storage was full and that I needed 5 mins to delete some items before installing Anydesk, so we disconnected that call and I spent the next 5 mins activating 2FA on my Amazon account, something I should have done ages ago but I had become complacent, then I made sure nothing had been bought and that nothing was left in my basket.
After 5 mins, she called back as we had previously agreed, and when I told her "it's all OK" and why it was OK, she disconnected without even a goodbye.
Now, I work in IT and I have to go through several on-line courses every year including on-line safety and even I was a little caught out by this one. The Indian accent alerted me but the fact that something was actually going-on with my Amazon account made it all sound legit for a few seconds. Fortunately I retained enough wits about me to not install absolutely anything upon the request of a faceless phone caller, not-least Anydesk.
This is the first time any scammer has got past my initial "f
k off" so I alerted my family to this, and advised them all to activate 2FA on Amazon and all their accounts, with instructions which took me ages to compile. My family are all trusting people, or at least they would be but I have kept them all abreast of latest scams as I encounter them (usually through work), but it wouldn't surprise me that some people can get caught out by some scams.
However - giving your money to someone... actually going on-line to your bank account and transferring money to someone..?? My (then) 78yo mother received one of those "I've lost my phone and need money" text messages, and even she declined. Actually, she called me to ask (exactly what I've programmed her to do)... and in fairness, she even knew it was a scam but just wanted to check.
There are a lot of people out there who don't have people who can help them rationalise messages and calls but everyone should be sceptical when asked for money.
I couldn't work out how this scam was going to work because the delivery address remained my own.
Anyway, she then says she can help but is unable to access my account because of "internal Amazon security" so I need to download Anydesk from the Google store onto my phone to allow her access. Obvs I was already triggered by the Indian accent and all the activity in my Amazon basket so when she mentioned Anydesk - a product I already know - I recognised it was a scam. However, there was real activity on my account and I was already flustered by the work I was doing at that time (I was in the loading bay of a data centre trying to get a few HP Blade enclosures into the building) so I didn't want to let her go completely until I had got myself up to speed.
To buy time, I told her my phone storage was full and that I needed 5 mins to delete some items before installing Anydesk, so we disconnected that call and I spent the next 5 mins activating 2FA on my Amazon account, something I should have done ages ago but I had become complacent, then I made sure nothing had been bought and that nothing was left in my basket.
After 5 mins, she called back as we had previously agreed, and when I told her "it's all OK" and why it was OK, she disconnected without even a goodbye.
Now, I work in IT and I have to go through several on-line courses every year including on-line safety and even I was a little caught out by this one. The Indian accent alerted me but the fact that something was actually going-on with my Amazon account made it all sound legit for a few seconds. Fortunately I retained enough wits about me to not install absolutely anything upon the request of a faceless phone caller, not-least Anydesk.
This is the first time any scammer has got past my initial "f
k off" so I alerted my family to this, and advised them all to activate 2FA on Amazon and all their accounts, with instructions which took me ages to compile. My family are all trusting people, or at least they would be but I have kept them all abreast of latest scams as I encounter them (usually through work), but it wouldn't surprise me that some people can get caught out by some scams.However - giving your money to someone... actually going on-line to your bank account and transferring money to someone..?? My (then) 78yo mother received one of those "I've lost my phone and need money" text messages, and even she declined. Actually, she called me to ask (exactly what I've programmed her to do)... and in fairness, she even knew it was a scam but just wanted to check.
There are a lot of people out there who don't have people who can help them rationalise messages and calls but everyone should be sceptical when asked for money.
This is the best one: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgnz8rw1xgo
Poor woman being scammed the subsequent effects, but that aside it’s comical.
Poor woman being scammed the subsequent effects, but that aside it’s comical.
nikaiyo2 said:
There is a program on R4 called Scam Secrets, some of the stories are just insane, banks telling people that they are giving their money to scammers but they still make the payment
I make my sister listen to Scam Secrets. She is a bit naive and always sees the best in people.I have a mate who likes to lead the scam callers on. By keeping them on the phone, they are not trying to scam others. Usually the caller falls for it for a while, then the penny drops and they hang up.
Then he kept getting calls from random people saying they were returning his call. What we think happened was the scammers spoofed his number.
Now if I answer a call, if I hear that call centre babble in the background I just stay quiet and they hang up straight away.
I'm also wary about talking to them incase they AI my voice.
My Ebay account was hacked a while ago. Luckily Ebay were on it straight away, before I had even noticed. The scammer had listed £500 Karcher pressure washers for £60 and literally hundreds of people paid for them within a matter of hours. Ebay refunded them all instantly, but I could see the messages flying backwards and forwards before Ebay deleted them, and people were getting rather nasty. Not sure what they were expecting really. When something seems to good to be true, it normally is !
Got a new colleague, and she came in one day saying that she had a terrible nights sleep.
Husband got a call from "their bank" and he ended up transferring £30k despite all the warnings that came up 3 or 4 times on the banking app.
What do you do when seemingly intelligent people do this? If "my bank" rang up asking me to move £30k, I'd tell them to FRO.
Husband got a call from "their bank" and he ended up transferring £30k despite all the warnings that came up 3 or 4 times on the banking app.
What do you do when seemingly intelligent people do this? If "my bank" rang up asking me to move £30k, I'd tell them to FRO.
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