Cumbrians are being urged to stay alert ahead of Christmas to scams designed to catch people out during one of the busiest times of the year.
Both The Cumberland and Cumbria Police have launched seasonal warnings to help stop fraudsters in their tracks.
The building society is encouraging people to slow down and think before acting, with the message: don’t be rushed.
“If something doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t,” it advises, stressing that urgency is one of the fraudsters’ strongest tools.
It has launched its 12 Scams of Christmas campaign highlighting a dozen frauds and scam to look out for over the festive season, from dodgy links in unsolicited texts and emails to giving away too much personal information in your social media accounts.
The Cumberland’s Financial Crime Manager Martin Rickerby focuses on several common scams appearing locally and nationally.
Unsolicited calls remain a major concern. If you’re not expecting a call, he advises, give yourself time and don’t hand over personal details. If in doubt, hang up and contact the organisation via a trusted number.
Shoppers are also reminded to be cautious when buying through social media marketplaces and to research sellers carefully. Fake delivery texts requesting postage payments are another recurring issue, with fraudsters aiming to steal card details.
Even car parks are being targeted, with scammers placing fake QR codes on machines. If anything looks tampered with, The Cumberland urges people not to use it and to check bank statements regularly.
Cumbria Police are running a parallel campaign across Carlisle and Barrow, using bus stop adverts to warn people about phone-based scams. The ads carry the reminder: “Don’t be taken in by a friendly voice. Phone fraudsters use trust to steal.”
Officers warn that criminals often pose as bank staff, police, or HMRC officials, persuading victims
to hand over bank details, transfer money, withdraw cash, or purchase high-value items for collection.
Police have reiterated that legitimate organisations will never ask for bank details or PINs over the phone, never request cash withdrawals or transfers, and never send couriers to collect money, cards or personal items. If you’re unsure about a caller’s identity, they advise visiting your bank or police station in person, or calling a trusted number from a different phone.
Detective Constable Claire Keyes said: “The fraudsters who carry out these offences are very persuasive, very friendly and extremely good at making you believe their story. But police and other agencies would never request this.
“If you have any concern that the person on the phone may be a fraudster, put the phone down and call the police from a different phone on 101 for advice and guidance.”
12 Scams of Christmas
- A cartridge in a pear tree – Be aware of spelling errors in unsolicited emails and texts
- Two one-time passcodes – The Cumberland won’t ever ask for a one-time passcode to cancel a transaction or authorise a refund
- Three fake QR codes – Be vigilant around parking meters, ticket machines and ATMs for fake QR codes stuck over real ones
- Four calling scams – Don’t be rushed by unsolicited phone calls; hang up if unsure and call back via a trusted channel
- Five easy passwords – Create unique, hard-to-guess passwords and use biometrics for payment apps
- Six police a-chasing – Police impersonation scams – real police never call asking for cash, personal info, or money transfers
- Seven singers singing – Fake sellers advertising cheap concert tickets and hard-to-find goods
- Eight parcels coming – Fake delivery texts/emails asking for postage payments or redelivery
- Nine links to click – Be wary of links in unsolicited texts/emails; contact companies directly instead
- Ten lords a-peeping – Don’t give too much information away on social media
- Eleven texts-a-begging – Messaging scams involving friends/family desperately seeking cash
- Twelve software updates – Keep your anti-virus software and operating system updated with security patches
