Pension scams can rob you of your future, literally! The current coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a rise in scams, according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in August 2020, victims of pension scams lost, on average, 22 years’ worth of pension savings and Action Fraud had recorded total losses of over £2million since the start of February 2020.

Criminals are taking advantage of more people staying at home, and the result is an increase in cold calls and online scams.

What to look out for

Internet use is an everyday occurrence for most people, from email, to shopping to banking, and virtually everything in between. Unfortunately this means that there are people who will try to take advantage of your online activity. Here are a few common ways that can be used to hack your personal information:

• Computer viruses -also known as malware (malicious software), these programs can steal your information and spread from one device to another (PCs, tablets and smartphones) via messages or emails.
• IT phone scams -in this type of scam, a fraudster will call claiming to be from your IT department, mobile phone or broadband provider, or a company that makes your devices to try to get you give away your passwords or other information, or install malware on your devices.
• Fake websites - by creating a website that looks genuine, such as a bank, scammers can steal passwords and codes.
• Email scams - known as ‘phishing’, a genuine-looking email is sent in the hope that you will click the links in it that takes you to a page that will try to get your personal details.
• SMS scams - similar to email phishing, text messages claiming to be from a legitimate firm will try to get you to follow a link to get your information.

Six tips to help you stay safe online

Whether online or on the phone, criminals are always looking for new ways to trick people. If you think you are being targeted, or think you may have been the victim of a scam, you should report it straight away. Thankfully, staying safe online is easy when you know how. We have put together the following tips to help.

1. Use strong passwords. They should include a mix of letters, numbers and special characters and should be different for each site you use.
2. Do not write your passwords down. A secure password manager is a far better way to keep track of your passwords. Your paper record could fall into the wrong hands.
3. Keep your browsers and devices up to date. Updates keep the security of your devices current and secure.
4. Keep your antivirus, firewall, and any other security software up to date, too. You can set these programs to automatically update themselves.
5. Check for the padlock a secure website will have a padlock icon next to their address on your web browser.
6. Never click on links or open attachments from emails claiming to be from financial companies. Call the company directly if you are worried about anything you have read.

For more information on how to avoid scams and useful resources, visit:

If you think you have been a victim of fraud (or you have been targeted) report it immediately to Action Fraud, who will give you advice on what to do next. You can reach them on 0300 123 2040.

Find out more about Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk