Rav Wilding, Matt Allwright, Nick Stapleton and Rebecca Wilcox on why BBC Scam Safe week is important - "No one should ever feel embarrassed about being scammed"

Building on the success of previous years, BBC Scam Safe week is back for 2025. Kicking off on Saturday 22 November, Scam Safe week brings together content from across the BBC including TV, radio, iPlayer, Sounds and online – to help the public stay informed in the fight against scams.

As scammers grow bolder, the BBC is once again stepping up to deliver a powerful public service campaign, with a whole week dedicated to special programming designed to highlight what viewers can do to protect themselves and those they love from being scammed.

Here's what the experts had to say...

Rav Wilding

Why did you want to take part in BBC Scam Safe week?

I am passionate about disrupting scam activity and spreading the word to as many people as possible in order to keep them safe.

Scammers are ruthless and heartless criminals that are ruining people’s lives yet it’s a crime we can really massively reduce when armed with the correct information and knowledge . Together we can be armed and ready when they try their dirty tactics to take our money.

What are your top 5 tips to avoid being scammed?

Think SCAMS

Stop. Stop when you get a call out of the blue or unexpected knock at the door, stop and ask yourself “Could this be a scam?"

Check. Check the person who is calling is from the organisation they claim to be from. If they are at your door check with the company online that they are with them, or if it’s a phone call hang up and call the company such as phone provider or bank back on the number YOU have for them to see if they are genuine.

Ask. Ask a friend of family member if the email, text message or knock at the door seems genuine to them. 9/10 times it won’t be, but it takes another pair of eyes or ears to see it as an outsider to allow you to see through the scam attempt.

Money. Never, ever, send or transfer money to anyone who calls out of the blue and claims to be from a reputable organisation such as your bank or the police. Also never send money to anyone you have formed a relationship with online. This is a classic scam called romance fraud and very often the person in the images you “think” you are communicating with is actually a completely different looking person from a different country pretending to be someone else.

Share. Share any scam attempts that happen to you with friends , family and anyone else you are comfortable with. This is incredibly useful to show how scammers operate and to keep others safe. By sharing your story you will be helping others.

Have you ever been caught up in a scam? If so, what happened? How did it affect you?

An older family member was scammed at an ATM. He went to use a machine and during the withdrawal someone asked him to show them where to go on a map they produced. He showed them and afterwards realised his cash card had been taken and money stolen from the ATM. He was distraught and as a pensioner this hit him hard financially. The fraudsters would have forgotten about that crime five minutes later. My relative was still reliving it five years later.

Do you think people are often embarrassed to admit they have been scammed?

Sadly yes. I deal with so many scam victims every day on Scam Interceptors. I don’t think I’ve ever had one that has not said they feel ‘silly' or 'stupid’ which simply shouldn’t be the case. Scammers are professional criminals and are only interested in getting as much money out of an innocent victim as they can. No one should ever feel embarrassed about being scammed. I have dealt with medical doctors, police officers, lawyers, even cyber security experts who have all be caught out by them. But by sharing their stories they have helped so many others.

Matt Allwright

Can you recall a time when you nearly got tricked by a scam but realised in time?

Our first flat. The surveyor told us we had damp. He was hand in glove with the damp-proof guys. They came in and stripped the plaster off the walls. I was next door, and heard them say “it’s already been done”. We’d spent money we didn’t have on something that didn’t need doing. I didn’t complain. But it stuck in the back of my mind and I vowed never to let it happen again. I am confident that something similar could happen again. Everything I have learned about scams over the years teaches me that everyone has their scam waiting for them.

What happened?

I felt foolish. We’d spent money that we needed as a young family for other things. I felt like I’d let my partner down. I briefly thought that I wasn’t old enough or wise enough to look after my own property. And that’s the real damage of scams right there - not the money, which I was in a position to earn again - but the damage they can do to self-esteem and confidence in the way the world works. It instantly feels like a colder, lonelier place.

What are some common red flags you look for to identify potential scams?

I ask ‘why' a lot. Why is someone contacting me now? Why are they offering me something that seems to be unavailable elsewhere? Why are they asking me to pay this way? Why do I feel uneasy about this? Why is this offer time-limited? Why am I being rushed into a decision? And a crucial ‘How’ - how do I know that this person is who they say they are?

Rebecca Wilcox

Why is BBC Scam Safe week so important?

BBC Scam Safe week is so important because we are still being targeted and losing money to fraudsters and scammers. Their business is still thriving and the only way to stop that and make the scammers’ life harder is by spreading knowledge about them.

Scammers have stolen millions of pounds from us in the last year alone (Citizens Advice puts it at over £9million in the UK) and they are targeting more of us than ever. Sadly they keep adapting and evolving, so we need to keep up to date as well.

Scam Safe week is a brilliant chance to get the information on the latest tactics and scams out there. And, to keep us all aware of the latest tricks and methods so we can stay safe. Anyone can get scammed at any time but we want to arm people with the knowledge that can stop the scammers before they get what they want.

Have you noticed any particular types of scams becoming more prevalent recently?

So many WhatsApp and Messenger scams supposedly from friends and relatives, asking for security login numbers. They pretend to need to get their account unlocked but in fact they use it to hack your account.

There are also incredibly sophisticated postal scams starting up again, people receiving official looking letters from their bank offering investment deals, credit card offers and the like in order to get money and/or account access.

The fraudsters are evolving and getting even more convincing. Telephone scams using robo callers (actors who have prerecorded lines played in to the call) so that we trust a local sounding accent and therefore are more likely to give up our information.

Even QR code stickers are being overlaid with fake scammer ones in restaurants, bars, car parks and other public spaces - so that the scammers redirect you away from the legitimate website and on to a their pages.

How should people seek out information to better educate themselves about scams?

Keep up to date with the latest information with BBC Scam Safe via programmes like Morning Live and Watchdog on The One Show. You can check out the BBC Scam Safe website and talk to friends and family about the local scams going around. It’s always a good idea to check with someone you trust if you think something might be a scam.

Read updates on trusted sites like Stop Scams UK, UK Finance, Citizens Advice, Action Fraud, Trading Standards and government authorised portals.

If in doubt - hang up the call, leave the website and don’t give out any information. Contact Action Fraud if you are worried you have been targeted by a scammer.

What lessons have you learned from any past experiences with scams?

The best advice I can give is: Breathe, take your time, if someone is rushing you that is a sign it might be a scam. Legitimate companies and callers will not mind if you ask questions and ask to call them back. Never feel panicked in to action - that is a classic scammer tactic. And never give people information when they have contacted you, especially if it’s out of the blue.

Never feel ashamed or embarrassed if you think you have been scammed. Absolutely anyone can be tricked by a scam and everyone is a target. Telling someone as soon as possible is the best way to get help. It also helps others become aware of the scams out there.

Nick Stapleton

What’s the most convincing scam you’ve ever encountered? How did you avoid it or were you tricked by it?

I very very nearly got scammed myself last year by a fake copyright strike on one of the videos I’d posted on my social media account. It was an extremely convincing approach, to the extent that I’m pretty sure it was tailored specifically to me by the scammer. This is something I’m seeing more and more - scammers doing their research and then making bespoke scams for specific individuals. I got as far as filling in basic info on a form to fight the strike before I realised.

What do you think will be the next big trend in scams?

It’s the next big trend in everything but when it comes to scams I do think it’s especially worrying - AI.

The need to be able to differentiate between real and fake online is going to become as important as being able to read and write, and the pace of change with AI-generated content has been so fast that it’s basically already impossible, even for me. That is a deeply concerning situation. Scammers will look to exploit it and use fake video, images, websites and emails, all created by AI, to try and steal our money. I worry that we aren’t going to be able to trust what we see and buy online at all very, very soon. Hopefully it will force us all back to the high street and doing things face to face!

In your opinion what are the biggest misconceptions people have about scams?

That it is the fault of the person who has been scammed. It is so easy to sit in judgement, and much harder to admit this is now so complex and richly developed that it is entirely plausible any of us could be successfully scammed. Including you!

• Read more on how to protect yourself: BBC Scam Safe week is back with seven days of special programming across TV, iPlayer, Radio, Sounds and Online from 22 - 28 November

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