Fraud is everywhere. It makes up 40 per cent of all criminal activity in the UK, more when you include Authorised Push Payment Fraud, where a scammer tricks you into sending money. I doubt there is a reader who has not directly been scammed or knows someone who has. Inescapable: Fraud accounts for 40 per cent of all criminal activity in the UK.
Trust No One
In Scam Nation, you cannot trust anyone. Not the boss who texts from an unknown number asking you to place an order; not the new number claiming to be your bank; not the voice saying she is your wife and could you transfer a few quid; not the message about a failed delivery of a parcel you did not order; and absolutely not your itinerant offspring who has run into financial trouble.
My neighbour recently had a text from her son, who runs a small business, saying he had a temporary glitch and might not meet payroll. Could she help? Of course. That was £6,000 down the drain.
An Email from a 'Distinguished Journalist'
As I started writing this article, an email popped up from a distinguished journalist, someone I knew slightly, with a CBE. He wanted to know if I still used Amazon. Then: 'I need help purchasing an H&M e-gift card for a friend's daughter battling cancer. Today's her birthday, and I'm trying to make her smile, but I've had trouble buying it online. Could you help me buy it on Amazon? I'll reimburse you.' Well, that was so lame it was almost disappointing. Only one step up from a Nigerian prince leaving me $20 million.
So who are these scammers? They are young, tech-savvy, aided by the revolution in technology. They are not shadowy figures in a hoodie in their bedroom. The new generation of scammers – many still teenagers – stay one step ahead of investigators and know how to exploit our social and digital frailties. They have YouTube channels and show off, whizzing around the capital wearing fraudulently bought kit.
Inside the Mind of a Scammer
In this timely, disturbing exposé, Kaf Okpattah, an investigative reporter with ITN, reveals he knows not just the victims but the scammers. Some used to be his classmates. For a scammer keen to acquire new Nike trainers, there is often a deliberate disconnection from society's values, fuelled by the mindset that life dealt you a rough hand. You want nice things, and you will get them one way or another.
Scammers, says Okpattah, grew up being told about all the great things they can have if they work hard. But these things slip beyond reach because they were born to poorer families. So they use their nous to level the playing field. They are helped by the fact that for a long time the police have not known or cared who they are, brushing responsibility off to banks.
A long time ago, the highest level of criminality for schoolkids was underage drinking and light shoplifting. Now e-commerce, universal internet access, and better understanding of technology mean young people are adept white-collar and consumer criminals. Their scams are everyday occurrences. Scammers are not just trying random combinations; they send them to real numbers and real inboxes. Chillingly, there are readily available guides online advising where to buy phone numbers and steal one-time passcodes.
The Language of Fraud
Let us get an idea of the vocabulary. Be careful if your kids are chatting about these things. The key is the 'fullz' – the full personal and financial information of a fraud victim, often obtained through hacking or phishing. Then you can 'click' a retailer to buy something online using stolen details, delivered to an 'addy' – a delivery address with no link to the scammer's real address. 'Squares' are bank cards, and a 'mule herder' is a crook who recruits and manages people to wash stolen money through their accounts.
Much of this engaging book is taken up with the author's pursuit, via fast-food joints and supermarkets, of fraudsters he has spotted online – and understands because they are like him. Here is 'Tankz', with millions of streams on Spotify and millions of views on YouTube of his video London Scammer, where he raps about using people's fullz to fund his glamorous lifestyle. And here is Mayaz boasting to her millions of followers about the goods she has acquired. Both are developing links with commercial brands, which makes you wonder what is going on.
If you go onto Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, or Amazon and know where to look, says the author, you will find vast numbers of accounts and ads selling step-by-step guides on how to commit fraud. This readable, busy little book takes us through all the hazards of modern-day fraud – and there are plenty. Ultimately, we can only watch out – and watch our phones. Take care.
