Real Stories

Care Home Worker

Paul Fernandes

I found a parking fine notice on my windscreen with a QR code to pay online. The website it took me to looked professional with a payment portal. The training had warned me about fake PCN websites so I checked the council website directly and found the legitimate payment details were completely different.

Warehouse Operative

Maya Patel

I got a call from someone saying they were from Sky and offering me a deal to cut my bill. They asked me to download an app so they could access my account to apply the discount. Something felt wrong and I refused. I called Sky directly and they confirmed they never ask customers to download remote access software.

Taxi Driver

Mohammed Al-Rashid

I got a text from what looked like DVLA saying my vehicle tax was overdue and my licence was at risk of suspension if I did not pay within 24 hours. The urgency made me panic. I checked the GOV.UK website directly and my tax was completely up to date. The real DVLA never contacts you this way.

Retail Worker

Sarah Mitchell

I got a text from what looked like Royal Mail saying my parcel was held and I needed to pay £2.99 to release it. It looked completely genuine with the red Royal Mail logo. I nearly paid but the training made me check the sender number and it was a random mobile. Reported it to 7726 straight away.

Construction Worker

James Okafor

Someone called me claiming to be from Lloyds Bank fraud team saying my account had been compromised and I needed to move my money to a safe account immediately. They knew my name and partial account number. I hung up and called Lloyds directly on the number on my card and confirmed it was a scam.

NHS Nurse

Elena Garcia

I received an email saying my NHS email password had expired and I needed to reset it through a link urgently or lose access before my next shift. The link looked like an NHS page but the web address was slightly different. I reported it to our IT helpdesk who confirmed it was a phishing attempt targeting NHS staff across the trust.

Primary School Teacher

Karen Whitfield

I received an email appearing to be from Companies House saying my school was listed as a business and I needed to verify details or face a fine. It had an official looking reference number and everything. I forwarded it to our IT coordinator who confirmed it was a widely reported scam targeting schools and public sector organisations across the UK.

Delivery Driver

David Carroll

I got a WhatsApp message from what appeared to be my son saying he had a new number and urgently needed £200 for a work emergency. It felt genuine. The training made me call his old number to verify and sure enough it was a stranger who had targeted me. Classic Hi Mum scam.