What Is Impersonation Fraud?
Impersonation scams are when a fraudster dupes a victim out of money by pretending to be a friend or family member in need of cash.
The scammer will often pretend to be a friend or relative who has been taken unwell, suffered an accident, or had all their money stolen while on holiday.
They will contact victims by email, phone, or messaging services like WhatsApp or Messenger, and make up a reason why they are not using their usual phone number or email.
Scammers can also sometimes clone phone numbers to make the fraud even more realistic.
Once they have convinced the victim they are who they say they are, they will ask to be sent money as a matter of urgency, for a variety of reasons.
They may say they need money to pay for medical bills, food and household bills because they cannot work, or to help get them home if they are stuck abroad with no money.
Impersonation Fraud And Artificial Intelligence
For a long time, it has been simple for someone to steal a photograph posted online and use it to set up a fake profile for an impersonation scam.
But artificial intelligence technology has enabled more sophisticated scammers to go one step further, and use samples of people’s voices available online to fairly accurately mimic their speaking voice.
This can be an even more convincing way of persuading a family member to send money to help their relative out of trouble.
For obvious reasons, impersonation scams can be very upsetting, and increasingly hard to avoid, so we are always ready to help you through the claim process with sympathy and compassion.
The fault always lies with the scammer, and not the victim.
How To Avoid An Impersonation Scam
While it’s easy to fall victim to an impersation scam, there are some simple checks that you can do to protect yourself.
- Check if the message is real: if you are contacted by someone claiming to be a family member on an unusual phone number or email, get in touch with that person using their usual contact details. If it’s a scam, the real person will respond and be able to put your mind at rest.
- Have you been asked for money? If a friend or family member asks for out of the blue, ask yourself if this is out of character for them. Are you being asked to send money to a different bank account to their usual one, or via a money transfer service like Western Union? These are signs of a scam.
- Check spellings and grammar: if you’ve been contacted by text message or email, pay very close attention to the spelling and grammar in the message. Scams very often originate from abroad, and the scammer’s English is unlikely to be perfect. Is this how your family member usually communicates? Does their language sound ‘off’?
- Are you being rushed? Scammers are usually in a hurry to get your money, relying on a sense of panic to make you act rashly and transfer money in the heat of the moment. Always take time to assess the situation, and contact either the real person or another friend or family member for advice.
- Interrogate: a couple of simple questions that only you and your friend or relative know will very quickly flush out a scammer.
- Safe words: think ahead, and come up with a safe word that only you and certain family members know. If they’re ever in trouble, they’ll know to say the safe word, and you’ll be safe in the knowledge they are who they say they are.
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