In the UK, spoofing scams aren’t illegal, but perpetrators of certain forms of spoofing scams are subject to heavy fines. Compared to the US, where spoofing scams are an illegal activity, UK law still has some way to go in terms of how it deals with nuisance and resilient scammers. It has, however, been seen before that scammers who use call spoofing scams have been given large fines, depending on the severity of the scam activity.

Because spoofing scams aren’t illegal, a lot of victims feel as though they can’t do anything about it, but this isn’t the case. We recommend that, if you have been the victim of a spoofing scam, you get in touch with us to arrange a free consultation and see what we can do for your recovery case.

There is nothing new about spoofing scams – they are a long-standing and highly common form of online scam. The word “spoof” actually dates back over a century and references trickery and deception, which is exactly what spoofing scams involve. Caller spoofing scams have been used for years by telemarketing companies, but different types of spoofing scams are becoming more complex and sophisticated, meaning that there are different types of scams which are gaining popularity with scammers.

Spoofing scams can be highly sophisticated, so it is important that to avoid falling victim, you pay close attention to the details and trust your instincts. Be aware of accessing websites that have no SSL certificate (URLs without the padlock symbol), or URLs which begin with HTTP instead of HTTPS.

With email spoofing scams, if you’re not sure about the legitimacy of the email, check the sender’s address and keep in mind that these scammers will use domains and addresses which look similar to legitimate emails. You can always copy and paste the email and search it online if you aren’t sure to see if anyone else has reported the email.

Loan fee fraud: You’re accepted for a loan, but before it’s “approved”, you’re asked to pay a fee for insurance, processing or an admin charge. Once paid, the loan never arrives, and the scammer disappears with your funds.
Job scams: You apply for a job and are told you’ve been successful. But before you can start, you’re asked to pay for background checks, training, or admin costs. Once paid, the job offer vanishes, and so does the scammer with your money.
Social media competition: You’re told you’ve won a prize in a competition, perhaps one you never even entered. But to claim it, you need to pay a small fee for delivery, verification or admin. After you pay, the prize never arrives because the competition was fake.
Rental property scams: You find a great rental property online. The “landlord” asks for a deposit to reserve it, often claiming there’s a lot of interest or that you can’t view it in person. After you send the money, the property turns out to be fake — or already rented to someone else.

The terms spoofing and phishing are often used interchangeably, but they do mean different things. Spoofing is where there is a level of disguise, so the use of a fake email address, display name, website or phone number is used to trick victims into thinking that they are dealing with a legitimate and trusted source.

Phishing is used to trick potential victims into providing personal information and data which can then be used for identity theft. Many phishing criminals tend to lean on and use spoofing tactics to trick victims into believing that they are sharing their information with a trusted recipient.