Impersonation fraud involves an imposter pretending to be a family member or friend of the scam victim.
Impersonation frauds are often particularly upsetting as the scammers will not only steal the identity of a loved-one or friend to extort money but, very often, they will pretend that the person they are impersonating is in a distressing situation.
It is common for the fraudster to claim that the person they are impersonating has been injured, or is unwell, in a bid to get the victim of the fraud to send money as a matter of urgency.
Fraudsters will contact victims by phone, email or message services, such as WhatsApp. They will often give an excuse as to why they have had to use a different telephone number or email to make contact as part of the con. Some scammers are even able to copy phone numbers.
Once the fraudster has tricked the victim into thinking that they are communicating with someone they know they will use a variety of excuses as to why they urgently need money to be transferred.
Impersonation frauds are becoming increasingly sophisticated with scammers now using artificial intelligence to mimic the voice of a son or daughter in order to encourage a parent to send money.
Impersonation scams cause a lot of upset and distress and we deal with these cases in a sympathetic manner and are always keen to reassure our clients that it is not their fault.
If you are the victim of an impersonation scam we are here to help you recover your money.
Our lawyers are incredibly understanding and help victims of tech support scams recover their money as quickly as possible.
How do I spot an impersonation scam?
Top Tips to avoid falling victims to impersonation fraudsters.
Double check. If someone contacts you through an unknown phone number, email or messaging service saying that they know you and urgently need money then you should first try to get back in touch with them through their normal contact details first. Very often the real person will answer and you can quickly establish whether they are responsible for the original message.
Money alert. The fact that someone contacts you asking for money out-of-the-blue should always ring alarm bells. Ask yourself why they would come to you first and whether the story they are telling you is realistic.
Secret phrase. If you fear that this scam could happen to you speak to loved ones and agree a secret phrase. that you will use if a real emergency situation arises where someone does need money. If you ask for the secret phrase from the person requesting money and they cannot tell you what it is it then it is likely to be a scam.
Ask questions. If you are at all unsure as to who is communicating with you don’t be afraid to ask them questions to establish if it is really them. It might be that you ask them about a specific event only you two know about. But never tell them any personal information.
Take you time. Fraudsters in impersonation scams rely on you acting quickly which is why they try to panic you. The scammers will try to hurry you to send money so you don’t have time to contact the real person that they are pretending to be. Ask for five minutes to think and then speak to a close friend or relative for advice.
Check spellings. Imposters will often be from overseas and can make quite obvious mistakes with spellings and grammar. Ask yourself whether the message you receive is written in a way that the person would normally communicate with you.