Figures recently released by the Government reveal that, during the 12 month period ending September 2025 one in every 14 British adults became a victim of fraud. As a result, in April 2026 a new multi-million-pound online crime squad was launched to stop the criminal minds that are behind Britain’s most pervasive crime.
The new Online Crime Centre will bring together police, intelligence agencies, banks, mobile networks and major tech firms to stamp out fraud. It will do this by identifying accounts, websites and phone numbers used by fraudsters and then shutting them down.
While the centre will undoubtedly help to tackle scammers, there are certain tell-tale signs that give fraudsters away. This is because these type of criminals need to gain their victim’s trust quickly, or panic them into acting without thinking, so use certain tricks to pressure people into action.
If you know what you’re looking for, these tricks can be spotted, enabling you to protect your wealth from unscrupulous tricksters. Read on to learn common tricks that scammers use that should raise a red flag.
They stick to a script
Sticking to a carefully crafted script is an important tool for fraudsters, as the words they use are strategically designed to generate trust. If the conversation feels overly scripted, be extremely careful as you could be talking to criminals.
Offer a ‘one-time’ or ‘time-limited’ investment
Fraudsters try to rush victims into making impulsive decisions. To do this, they will create a false sense of urgency or artificial scarcity to trigger the ‘fear of missing out’ emotion, which could lead their victims to act without thinking it through properly.
Makes contact out of the blue
In 2019 the then Government banned cold-calling about pensions. If you’re contacted unexpectedly by someone about your pension (or other investments), whether directly or by email or social media, take extreme care as it’s likely to be a scam.
Try to prevent you calling them back
By not allowing you to call back, the scammer keeps control of the conversation, meaning they’re never caught off guard. Furthermore, they may make their victims wait a long time before making contact to increase anticipation.
This means that when the fraudster does get in touch, the victim is so pleased to hear from them that they’re more likely to act.
Give the impression of authority
In some cases, fraudsters pretend to be an official, or person of importance, in a bid to trick victims into thinking they need to act. They may pretend to be from the police, a bank, HMRC, or may impersonate a solicitor so that the victim feels fearful and is more likely to act.
Create a sense of urgency
Another way fraudsters try to panic their victims into action is to tell them that they have a very short period in which to respond. This might be within 24 hours, or immediately.
More often than not, the short timeframe is backed up with the threat of losses, fines or prosecution if action isn’t taken.
Uses threatening language or over-promises
To ensure the person they’re talking to is fearful, criminals often use threatening language to intimidate victims. Alternatively, they will make extremely attractive claims to tease the victim into wanting to find out more.
Use current events
It’s important to remember that scammers are often opportunistic. This means they will exploit current news topics or specific times of year, such as tax year end, to make the scam feel more relevant.
Poor spelling or grammar
Text message and email are the most common ways scammers make contact. Often, they will try to replicate companies such as Royal Mail, EE or well-known retail chains, and ask victims to click a link or provide missing information.
With the help of AI, these types of scams have become increasingly personal, so you should always treat any contact with suspicion and look for the following signs of a scam:
spelling mistakes
poor grammar
unusual looking links
an urgent request to do something
imminent deadline
unusual contact details.
Cybercrooks sometimes send phishing emails claiming to be from rnicrosoft.com, in which they place an ‘r’ just before an ‘n’ so that it looks like an ‘m’ at first glance.
Actions you can take if a criminal makes contact
If you suspect you’ve been contacted by a scammer, end the conversation at once.
If the call or text was received on an iPhone or Android phone, you can report it to your provider by texting ‘call’ to 7726. You’ll then receive a message asking you for the scam number.
For scam calls received on WhatsApp, you can report the contact by going to the number and tapping 'report contact' and 'block'. You can also report scam calls to Report Fraud (formerly called Action Fraud) or call the police on 101 if you’re in Scotland.
Get in touch
While we hope this blog offers some useful ways you can protect yourself from scammers, please remember that this is not a comprehensive list. If we can help with any questions you might have about investing, pensions or financial planning, please call us on 0333 010 0008 to arrange no obligation initial meeting with one of our independent financial advisers.
5 May 2026