1. National Insurance number ‘compromised’ cold calls.
If you’ve received a pre-recorded message or phone call claiming your National Insurance number has been compromised, you can safely ignore it. It’s a scam.
Phishing emails
Fraudsters appear to be continuing to use the hook of National Insurance numbers as a means to exploit personal information from victims – the scam appears to have now moved to phishing emails:
This email, which was not sent by GOV.UK
2. Cold call ‘crime scam’
We’ve been made aware that an official sounding voice usually claiming to be from the National Crime Agency or ‘National Office for Serious Crimes’ has been cold calling unsuspecting members of the public, asking them to call back urgently. Fraudsters will then try to manipulate you into handing over personal information using a web of lies and threats.
There have been dozens of people targeted by this scam over the past few months. Action Fraud data shows it is the most reported phone scam of this year so far, having received more than 1,000 reports.
One victim reported that when he returned the call he was falsely told that someone had been using his National insurance number (NINo) to claim Universal Credit. The scammer told him that if he didn’t hand over his personal details so they could make a ‘correction’ he would be liable to repay thousands of pounds in fraudulently claimed benefits and could be sent to prison. At this point he realised something wasn’t right and put the phone down, but the scammers continued to try and get in touch with him for more than a week.
The scammers tell the unsuspecting victims to hand over their personal information as they need to be issued with a new NI number. Don’t be pressured for your details. In reality, there’s very little damage anyone could do with just your National Insurance number, even if someone had access to it. But your other personal details, such as your name, date of birth, address and bank details are much more valuable to criminals. They could use this information to target you with more personalised scams, or try to gain access to your accounts. No government organisation would ever pressure you to hand over sensitive information, and if you’re uncomfortable or unsure, just hang up the call.
Finally: Remember, you can visit Gov.uk which offers contact numbers and web chat support if you have concerns regarding your National Insurance number.
David Rose