Scams alert

Two scams to flag with older people this month.

PayPal 1p deposit scam. The fraudster deposits 1p into a PayPal account, which generates a genuine PayPal email about the transaction. The email instructs the recipient to call a number if they do not recognise the deposit. The number connects to a scammer who walks the victim through “securing” their account. The PayPal email is real; the phone number is the trap.

British Gas impersonation calls. With energy prices rising, cold callers are impersonating British Gas. Several recipients reported the caller already had personal information about them. Treat any unsolicited contact about energy bills as suspect; advise clients to hang up and call their supplier on a number they have looked up themselves.

We would welcome reports from professionals of anything you are seeing in your caseloads.