Once by the loss of hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds. "Social media companies are making money from these criminals, and those searching for a pet are left heartbroken twice. Not to mention those posted by appalling, disreputable breeders whose interests lie firmly in profit, rather than animal welfare. "It is infuriatingly simple for a fraudster to upload a fake advert to an online marketplace for an animal that doesn't exist. Fraudsters know this and are ready to take advantage, preying on people's desire to add another family member to the home. Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Bank said: "Owning a pet is one of the great joys of life, becoming true companions and part of our families. Customers have been told to look out for several red flags, including sellers applying pressure for payment, someone contacting you out of the blue and the seller making excuses.
#Lloyds tsb advert people full
This can be for the full amount, or a deposit.Īs soon as money has been sent, the advert and scammer will disappear. Remember, paying by bank transfer is the same as handing over cash.At first, the scammer may appear to follow the steps of a reputable seller - by agreeing to a viewing of the pet in its home environment, or with its mother, experts say.īut it won't be long before this is replaced by excuses and constant pressure to make a payment prior to a visit. Card payments have long-established protections if anything goes wrong with the sale, through the chargeback and Section 75 schemes. Be very careful when shopping through online marketplaces and always pay by card.
Stranger danger: If someone contacts you out of the blue with an offer – particularly if this comes shortly after you’ve posted that you are looking for something, or joined a related social media community – be wary, as reputable sellers don’t need to do this.If reputable, established online stores and sellers can’t supply something, it’s unlikely third-party sellers can either.
You should be so lucky: If something is sold out everywhere else, but easy to find on social media or online marketplaces, this should raise a red flag.Remember, you don’t know each other, so this is pressure selling in action. Under pressure: If a seller is trying to rush you into making a decision, or bombarding you with messages about how in-demand something is, take a step back and ask yourself why they’ve taken such a keen interest in you securing what they’re offering.Keeping these tips in mind – regardless of what is being bought – will help keep the scammers at bay. Pets are one of many types of purchase scam that proliferate online. Lloyds Bank's tips for avoiding scams online The bank revealed its new clip, titled By Your Side, on Friday (8 April) and has also shared. The most common pet scams reported to Lloyds Bank in 2023 so far are below: Fans of the Lloyds black horse will be pleased to hear he has returned for a new advertising campaign. This can be for the full amount, or a deposit.Īs soon as money has been sent, the advert and scammer will disappear, sometimes after plucking the address of an innocent third party out of thin air, ensuring a wasted trip for the victim, alongside the stolen funds.Īverage monthly scams reported, 2023 vs 2022 (% change) It won’t be long before this is replaced by excuses and constant pressure to make a payment prior to a visit. Scammers keep tabs on which breeds are in high demand, taking photos from the internet and sharing ficticious information about the animal – such as parentage or medical information – to create the illusion of authenticity.Īt first, the scammer may appear to follow the steps of a reputable seller – by agreeing to a viewing of the pet in its home environment, or with its mother. The most common tactic used by fraudsters, Lloyds said, is fake adverts posted on Facebook or Instagram, where the potential pet simply doesn’t exist. That's the warning from Lloyds Bank, which says new research it has put together shows that people are losing an average £307 to pet scams – with more than 50% of scams originating on Facebook and Instagram. How much is that doggy in the window? If the window in question is a screen showing a social media site, then prospective pet owners would do well to remove their nose from the glass and pause before parting with any money to secure that Pomeranian – because there’s a good chance it doesn’t exist.
0 kommentar(er)
