COUNTY NEWS: Repossession scam spotted

Sussex residents have been warned that a text message claiming their homes will be repossessed is a scam.
A scam text sent to a Sussex residentA scam text sent to a Sussex resident
A scam text sent to a Sussex resident

People have reported receiving texts saying their home would be repossessed the following day.

Suzanne Newman, a spokesperson for Worthing Homes, many of whose residents received the text, said the scam had been spotted all over the UK and was not unique to Worthing Homes.

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The text claimed the repossession was following ‘previous correspondance’.

Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, list different types of text message based scam:

“You’re sent a text from a number you don’t recognise, but it’ll be worded as if it’s from a friend.

“For instance: ‘Hi, it’s John. I’m back! When do you want to catch up?’ So you call it back, thinking you’re doing them a favour by telling them they’ve got the wrong person, only to be charged a fortune for a premium rate call.

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“Or you may text back and end up engaging in a lengthy SMS exchange. You find out that you’ve been charged a high rate for your texts (and sometimes for your received texts as well).

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