Archive for July, 2016

Help protect yourself against Fraud

Posted on: July 21st, 2016 by Ian Stormnet

Protect Yourself Against Fraud

Imagine earning your monthly wage and gearing up to pay off some bills, maybe treating yourself to the latest gadget or even taking a well-deserved holiday and going into the bank or online to make the payment, only to learn that you have been stripped of your earnings. For many people, they do not have to imagine, as this is a reality all too familiar. Fortunately, in this day and age, we have the ability to see and control every penny of our earnings and are able to track where it is going without too much worry about the security of it all. However, with online shopping becoming one of the most popular ways for us to do our spending – especially on those larger transactions around holidays, such as Christmas and Birthday’s – we should not be so lax about those everyday transactions that we are making. There are many fantastic online payment services that guarantee great security, such as PayPal, but it is worth staying vigilant on the little signs that may signal dodgy doings from other sources that are trying to strip you of your hard-earned cash.

Emails

Many banks and building societies are very vocal about the steps they take to insure their customers do not have the opportunity to be taken advantage of; one of these steps is verification over emails. Banks such as Lloyds, HSBC and Nationwide will never ask you to verify important or confidential information over email, so if you ever receive an email that looks like it may be from your bank then, we suggest you don’t open it in the first place, however, if you do open it then do not respond. We advise you go to their website and call the official helpline immediately and tell them about the email, the likelihood is that they will tell you that it is a scam and help you deal with the email straight away.

Phone

There are many savvy ways for fraudsters to contact you in ways that make you feel safe. Many people have cottoned on to the bogus emails and online scams, however, nothing compares to speaking to a fellow human being on the phone but it is your responsibility to decipher whether they’re genuine or not. There are many clever ways for callers to disguise their real identity by either blocking the number or even making it appear with the bank name that you are associated with. Again, banks will never ask for sensitive information over emails OR by phone. If it is important, they tend to ask you to come into the bank in order to deal with the issue. Sometimes the caller may not even respond to your questions, as it will be a prerecorded pitch or a robot. Prerecorded pitches are illegal, so be wary if you encounter this and never offer your sensitive information to anyone over the phone, unless you are positive that it is the genuine number of the bank or online payment service that you are using to protect your money and if you are unsure then hang up and call back using the genuine number on their official website.

Scammers

In order to get their hands on your money, scammers will often pose as someone you trust, such as a relative or friend of a relative or someone in authority. Never give them the benefit of the doubt online or on the phone when it comes to your personal details. Make sure to try and get as much information as possible about the caller. If you can, try and get the number they are calling you from or where they are calling you from (if it is not blocked) and never hand out any of your personal information, whether its bank details, home address or full name and email. That way, you can find out a little more about the person calling and potentially notify the police with an in-depth account of the situation if anything untoward does happen.

You’ve won…

Many fraudulent emails pose as a prize giveaway or debt relief and at first it may seem harmless by asking for a mobile number or an address, but this way the fraud in question is building up layers and layers of your details and rather than jumping in straight away and asking for bank numbers, they are building your trust with seemingly unimportant information. It is also a way for the fraud to get you to click on links that have viruses attached to them which can sit in your computer and snatch sensitive information, such as passwords to online shopping accounts, bank accounts etc.

Insure Your Money

When online shopping, consider the payment method that you choose. Using a service such as PayPal often has a built-in security that allows your information to be completely protected so anyone hacking into your account won’t be able to see any ‘saved’ card details or any previous transactions as they are all protected by several layers of passwords and firewalls. Many credit cards also offer insurance on fraudulent activity. For example, when making a larger payment, such as a holiday or concert tickets, it can be more favourable to pay with your credit card as your bank will tend to insure the transaction, whereas large payments on debit cards that are lost can’t often be traced or returned back to you.

Always Read the Small Print

Online scams aren’t always trying to steal your personal information or give your computer viruses in order to hack into accounts, there are some online ‘scams’ that simply take your money in broad daylight and disguise it as the ‘best offer ever!’ in regards to the service that it is providing. This is a type of scam that isn’t necessarily taking your personal information in order to be fraudulent, however, it aims to reel you in with a delicious looking offer that you simply cannot refuse. Whether it is a free trial on your favourite music or TV programs or ‘money off your first purchase’ type of offer, its aim is to get you hooked into a contract or agreement on a monthly payment scheme for a certain amount of time or taking money off you until you call or write to them to cancel the subscription.

At Cash4Coins, we aim to make sure your money is as safe and secure as it can possibly be! So if you have any questions or queries on our services and how we can help you then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

What does Brexit Mean for You and Your Pennies?

Posted on: July 4th, 2016 by Ian Stormnet

As you may have noticed, last week, Britain made one of its most poignant and controversial political decisions in history – to exit the European Union. It is a seismic topic that has been on everyone’s mind, whether you voted in or out, or simply couldn’t decide what you felt would be best for the future generations to come, I’m sure you had an opinion to offer on the matter. With immediate affects to the value of our pound, it is certainly a topic that we have been interested in here at Cash4Coins! The pound fell to it’s lowest value since the 80’s and everyone immediately cast their opinions that the financial market was going to crash, however, the constant fluctuation since last week has left people unsure as to where we stand. So, for those who are unsure, we are here to give you an unbiased report on what Brexit really means for our economy…

Immediate Aftermath

In the wake of Brexit, Britain fell to 6th place in the world’s largest economy, behind France. The immediate 10% fall meant that there was a global rush of capital into a more secure currency, such as the Japanese Yen and the Swiss Francs. According the likes of the Bank of England and large UK organisations, there was a prediction, pre-exit, that suggested the economy would flourish considerably slower without the EU. However, many pro-Brexit economists are suggesting that there is no need to worry as they have projected that, although we had a drastic fall on day one, we will eventually build up our economy and come back fighting (as Daft Punk would say) ‘Harder, better, faster, stronger’!

What does this mean for your travel spends?

Cameron has claimed that, although the result has come as an immediate shock to the system, whether it is to your delight or dismay, nothing will actually change straight away, so it could take years and the smallest of difference to change the way we spend our pennies abroad. As it stands at the moment, due to the drastic fall in value of the pound, there have been some effects to the exchange in currency. Only last week, the day it happened, many places in Greece were not exchanging sterling to euros, simply because the value dropped so much in such a short space, they couldn’t work out what the exact exchange rate was for hours. It also meant that if you were travelling that weekend then you would, unfortunately, have been getting less euros for your money. BUT… Do not fear! This can be excused as a mere reflection of the knee-jerk reaction to the uncertainty of the UK financial market now that we are standing alone, since last week the pound has already risen by 2%, which in money terms… is a pretty positive rise! So, it has been advised that, if you are yet to book your holiday this year, then choose wisely, as picking a destination where the sterling is strong and the local cost of living is low could make a real difference to how you make the most of your pennies when sunning yourself this summer.

Stocks

Although it is claimed that Bank of England predicted a slow start and slow development for the UK economy after Brexit, they lifted stocks up to an all time high since February 2014 by driving £3.1bn in UK lenders, which resulted in bids of up to £6bn.

In The Home

The link between wholesale gas and electricity coincides with the price of oil, so it wouldn’t come as a surprise if your main concern with the Brexit aftermath were the price of general living costs and your daily trips to the petrol station. Although no costs or calculations have been proven or confirmed, there still lies the threat of these rising prices along with the possible rise in taxpayer’s rates, which could really tighten the family budget. It has also been predicted that value of properties could fall over £2,000 within the next 2 years, and over £7,000 for London alone. This is one of the main concerns of the National Association of Estate Agents who believe that the property market is based on ‘confidence’, so with such uncertainty cast over the UK housing market with our vote to leave, it leaves outside investors sitting on their hands waiting for some sort of restoration in trust.

Savings and Pensions

Since 2012, standard saving rates have been an uphill battle with downhill result with the base rate sitting at 0.5% for the last 7 years. However, some believe that due to the eventual high interest rates, it would relieve those savers who have seen such a downturn in returns over the years. Pensions, understandably, seem more unreliable after Brexit, with the possibility of private pensions being savaged if stocks fall or the market crashes, meaning it would take years to rebuild. In this case, the younger generations of voters have more time to reassess how they will save for their futures and what will be a best way to keep their money safe. It also means that over the years we could see drastic changes in pension laws due to our involvement with the EU, so at the moment it is a case of uncertainty for all ages and pension holders. Currency exchange also affects the pension rate for British citizens living abroad in EU countries.

The Positives

Although there are two sides to every story, it seems as though uncertainty has cast a dark shadow over many professional and public opinions and divided people’s views on our future in the UK. However, many economists are encouraging people to believe in the UK’s ability to stand on our own two feet and embrace the change with gusto. One economist, based in Tel-Aviv bank, Leumi, has claimed that this is a positive change and sets precedence for the UK to finally be able to fine tune our own legislations and trade agreements. So, whether you pro or against Brexit, there is definitely an air of change around the UK public and we can now embrace the change positively by taking matters into our own hands and being more involved in the political world. If anything, it has made the British public far more passionate about and engaged with politics, which can only be a good thing.

If you would like any advice on your money exchanging needs, we would love to hear from you! You can contact us today by phone or email.