Fraud is not a small problem, and the pandemic makes it worse – criminals use our fear and uncertainty against us.

In the worst case I’ve seen, people have lost up to £ 350,000 in one scam, with fraudsters taking advantage of everything from social media posts to home buying to trick honest Britons out of their money.

And it’s not just gullible or gullible to deal with – with professional scammers who are able to fool even the most intelligent people.

Even last week I looked at new tricks on the blockThis week, I’m going to highlight some of the worst of the rest.

Here are six ways criminals are using people’s money now:

1. Boiler rooms

The boiler room tricks are confusingly named.

The term comes from the environment in which fraudsters have traditionally worked, packed into a small room with a load of phones and computers, as they contact innocent victims and increase pressure on them to invest in elusive or nonexistent investments or land banking schemes.

These fraudsters can be very aggressive because they pressure you to “invest”.

They often return to crime scenes as well, so you throw one good money after another to recoup your losses.

Or, even more despicably, they pretend to be lawyers who can make up for your lost money for a fee.

2. Payment of payment fraud

The fraudster calls you pretending to be from your bank – or impersonating you like a policeman.

You have been told that your account has been hacked and you need to transfer your funds to a new account which is in fact the scammers.

The fraudster tells you to call the number on your bank card but remains on the line when the call ends.

If you don’t verify the calling code, they pretend to be the bank and take your money. £ 207.8m was lost to the payment fraud payment in the first half of 2020 according to UK Finance.

3. SMS

This fraud method targets online banking services. The fraudster uses very little inexpensive technology which means he can impersonate your bank number.

They ask for passwords or online banking codes and trick you into giving them what they need to access your account.

Then they make you transfer or pinch the money themselves.

4. Courier fraud

This type of fraud works in the same way as payment scams.

The fraudster only tells you that they will send a courier to collect your bank card after getting your details.

In the worst examples, people are told that local bank employees are fraudsters and are forced into and funneling money abroad, ignoring cashier’s warnings.

5. Attorney / commercial fraud

This scam targets attorneys handling large transactions, mortgage or corporate payments.

It works the same way as others, but the amounts are huge. I’ve seen £ 350k being scammed with a single business.

6. Email fraud / fake fraud site

We’ve all seen dodgy emails that make the rounds asking for details. Well, they’re pretty convincing now.

I’ve seen emails “from” the Internal Revenue Service, the government, banks, ombudsmen and many more that all look ridiculously convincing – and they’re all bogus.

Check the end of the http address and always browse the official website by searching and checking it online – do not click on the link.

Don’t forget the golden rule: No bank will ever ask you to hand in personal passwords or details – and they will never ask you to transfer funds either.

Be skeptical, think before you click, and if you think you’ve been duped, contact the company ASAP.

Anyone – literally anyone – can be fooled by these scam experts.

I’ve listened to phishing phone recordings and heard that even pessimistic people can be weary of a constant attack.

Although I hate to give them credit, the modern imposter is very convincing. They should be when the rewards are this high.

If you are a victim of a scam, please report it. Practical fraud are the people to contact. Some fraudsters have been caught, although often with little money.

But by reporting these thieves, you can help make life more difficult for them.

Resolver can help you solve complaints about just about anything – check www.resolver.co.uk