Expats leaving the UK to start a new life overseas are falling victim to fraudsters stealing their bank cards.
Action Fraud, the UK’s online window for national fraud investigation units has found three out of four people moving home fail to redirect their mail, leaving them vulnerable to scams.
Crooks are targetting apartments in blocks without CCTV to steal letters from banks and credit card companies.
They then call the provider posing as the account holder and order new payment cards.
Action Fraud says many banks fail to cancel cards when a replacement is ordered so the customer is not left without access to their money.
Spending spree
This leaves the crooks with time to go on a spending spree before the victim realises someone else has a card with access to the cash in their bank or credit card accounts.
The fraud busters released some details of a survey that found that 71% of expats and home movers do not bother to redirect their mail for at least six months after they have moved and many do not hurry to tell their banks about changes of addresses.
Also, a third fail to shred letters carrying banking information that crooks can steal from bins to help them with their scams.
“If you are moving, especially overseas, set up mail redirection for at least a year and tell your bank and other finance companies of your new address as a matter of urgency to combat fraudsters,” said a spokesman for the crime team.
Warnings about bogus advisers – Worldwide
Bogus adviser alerts on the International Organisation of Securities Commissions web site:
- www.christianmuhrhk.com – Austria
- Plus Easy Credit – Austria
- www.schwarzoliverthomas.com – Austria
- Roche Capital Partners LP – Austria
- Lamberg Kapital – Switzerland
- New York Securities Bank (NYSB)/NYSB Fund Management SL – Spain
- JD Business Capital – Spain
- Vision Financial Partners LLC – Canada
- Bloomfunding – Canada
- Fabrice Mvondo – Canada
- Bull Position Information Spain SL – Spain
- Ear Servicios De Informacion SL – Spain
- Newsfinance Servicios De Informacion SL – Spain
- Imperial Options – Canada
- Dean Capital Group – Canada
- BBL Capital Management, SA – Czech Republic
- Select Capital Ventures SA – Quebec
- www.investfond.eu – Austria
- UK Options – Austria
- Private Online Investment – Switzerland
- WB-Invest GmbH – Netherlands
- Richmond Stock Bi Spain SL – Spain
- Vital Market Soluciones Financieras, SL – Spain
- Vital Markets Solutions Limited (Vital Markets) – Spain
- Financial Trading Services SA – Canada
- Cabral Garcia Empreendimentos Imobiliários Ltda – Brazil
- American Business Corporation Shares Brasil Ltda – Brazil
Warnings about bogus advisers – UK
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) web site has these warnings this week:
- Donnar Investment Corp SA
- Rent To Buy Cars
- ALTR Alternative Fund Managers (clone web site)
- Thomas Loppacher (clone web site)
- China Merchants International Corporation
- Robinson Securities LLC
- AXN Trading Ltd (clone web site)
- CMD Acquisitions
- Financial Strategy Holdings trading as New Trade FX
- Nightingale UK
- Kincorp Capital Limited
- Akasaka Acquisition Group
- UBS Wealth Management/ UBS Global Wealth Management (clone web site)
- Garnier Global Finance (clone web site)
- Solicilinks Limited
- Sofia Tucker Firm
- Trusted Home Loans (clone web site)
- I Financial Solutions Limited (clone web site)
- Grossfield (Financial Services) Limited (clone web site)
- Capital Securities/First Capital Securities Company Ltd
Dealing with an unregulated firm
If you buy shares, save money or invest with an unregulated firm, you lose any protection offered by the Financial Ombudsman and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Broadly, you have no independent place to complain if the deal goes wrong and are unlikely to win any compensation.
Checking if a firm is regulated
Go to the Financial Services Register to check if a firm is regulated in the UK.
Reporting a suspected bogus adviser
Find out how to report unauthorised advisers on the FCA web site
