Latest news with #LucyAndrews
Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I got spoofed and was forced to change my mobile number – it could happen to you too
Deputy consumer editor Lucy Andrews was a victim of a chilling identity fraud, she explains what happened PHONE HOME I got spoofed and was forced to change my mobile number – it could happen to you too Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IF you've ever been targeted by a scammer, you'll know it can be a scary and worrying experience. But has a fraudster ever pretended to be YOU, in order to trick people out of their hard-earned cash? Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The Sun's deputy consumer editor Lucy Andrews had her number 'spoofed' - here's what happened Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd. That's exactly what happened to me, when I discovered that my phone number had been "spoofed" and crooks were using it to try and scam people. It's a horrible form of identity fraud and a cunning way for fraudsters to attempt to steal cash or money from unsuspecting victims, as the number appears to be from a trusted source. It all started six months ago, when I started getting mysterious phone calls from strangers claiming that they'd has missed calls from me. But when I checked my call log each time, I could see that I never made the call to that number. I would tell the caller that they made a mistake, and hang up the phone. I was suspicious that these were scammers trying to lure me into handing over money in some way, so I made sure to block the numbers after I put the phone down. But the calls kept coming and each time I kept blocking the number. That was until last week, when I received a WhatsApp out of the blue from a lady I didn't know. "Hello, did you call me?" the text read. I usually don't message back when I get these sorts of WhatsApp messages, as I'm wary of scammers. But I was confused when the lady sent a screenshot of her call log - and surprisingly, my phone number was at the top of the list. I decided to message back, explaining that I didn't call her. I thanked her for flagging the missed call, and said I would look into what happened. After contacting my phone company, ID Mobile, I was told that the most likely explanation for what had happened was that my phone number had been spoofed. They said there wasn't much the company could do about my spoofed number, although I had the option to change my phone number, which would cost £25. I was also told to report the issue to Action Fraud. The thought of a scammer using my number and pretending to be me to con money out of innocent people made me sick to my stomach. So I decided to bite the bullet, swallow the £25 charge, and put the experience behind me. Even better, I've not had a single scam call or text since I switched my number - before, I used to get at least one a week. However, there's nothing to stop my new number from being spoofed too. It's also been a massive inconvenience contacting all my friends, family, and organisations to let them know about my change of number. iD Mobile said: "We understand how frustrating it is for customers to receive calls from people claiming they've been contacted by them. "In this instance, it appears the number was spoofed — a common industry issue where fraudsters fake caller IDs without needing access to the number itself." I've been told that if I report it to Action Fraud, the £25 fee will be waived - which I'm planning on doing soon. Spoofing on the rise The main reason why scammers will spoof numbers is in order to target more victims without being caught up in something called the Do Not Originate (DNO) list. Ofcom and UK Finance launched the DNO list in 2019. Companies and organisations add to the list when a rogue number is reported, and this list is shared with telecoms providers to help them identify and block calls from these numbers. It's an effective tool in filtering through scam callers - but tech and cyber security expert David McClelland said scammers are exploiting a loophole. "Perhaps because of this DNO list - although it's difficult to say for sure - scammers are now also making calls that spoof individuals' mobile numbers," he said. Spoofing is becoming a big problem. The telcoms regulator, Ofcom, is so concerned about the growing threat of spoofing that it launched a consultation in July last year on how to address the issue. It said it was "concerned" that scam calls are coming from scammers who are spoofing UK mobile numbers. It said a call from a spoofed number could appear more trustworthy, and "victims are more likely to share personal information or to make a payment, which can lead to significant financial and emotional harm". It can therefore make it much easier for fraudsters to hunt down victims and steal their money. Some 5.7million Brits have been targeted by a mobile phone scammer more than 10 times, according to research from comparison site Uswitch. And an eye-watering £1.17billion was swiped by scammers in 2024 - roughly level to what was stolen in 2023. What can you do about spoofing? Worryingly, phone companies can't do a lot about spoofing, says Jake Moore from the cybersecurity firm ESET. "There's no solid bulletproof way to stop this sort of spoofing," he says. "However, it's a good idea to report it to Action Fraud and at extreme lengths, you can change your number. "This may be challenging for some people - but it will eradicate the problem if your phone number appears on a list that hackers delve into." My spoofing experience has been sobering, and has reminded me of the importance of remaining vigilant against scammers. Set your privacy settings to the highest level on your social media and messaging accounts. This is so people can't contact you or collect personal information about you - it's surprising how much we share on our accounts. Be wary of who you share your number with. "Try to reduce the amount of companies you give your phone number to," Jake said. "Most website forms will ask for it but not all of them will require it for the service or product to work. "By limiting where your number is divulged, it reduces the chance it will be breached." If you get a cold call, never rely on just using the caller ID as a way to verify who they say they are. It's worryingly easy for scammers to spoof a number. If someone says they are from your bank, then hang up and call the number on the back of your card, or through the mobile bank app. If someone says they are from an official organisation, like HMRC, hang up and look up the number to call back on the website. Being spoofed has made me realise the lengths that scammers will go to in order to trick you into handing over money. From now on, I'll be keeping a close eye on where I'm sharing my phone number.
Scottish Sun
14-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Key mistake that could see you lose up to 36% in car finance misselling scandal compensation
We reveal top tips for finding out if you're affected below CAR BLOW Key mistake that could see you lose up to 36% in car finance misselling scandal compensation Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MOTORISTS affected by the car finance mis-selling scandal have been issued a warning over a simple mistake that could prove costly. Impacted drivers should avoid using claims management companies (CMC) or law firms to get compensation, the regulator has said. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The FCA has cautioned against motorists claiming compensation through CMCs Over 23million people believe they could be owed money due to mis-sold car car finance loans, according to recent research. However, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has cautioned anyone using a CMC or law firm could lose a hefty amount of any payout in fees. The FCA said: "Consumers should be aware that by signing up now with a CMC or law firm, they may end up paying for a service they do not need and losing up to 30% of any money they may receive." The amount of compensation swallowed in fees can be worth up to 36% too, as claims companies can charge additional VAT. The amounts of compensation affected drivers will receive are yet to be confirmed, but someone in line for a £1,000 compensation would see £360 paid out in fees. The FCA is currently waiting for the outcome of a Supreme Court ruling before deciding whether a mass redress scheme for affected drivers will go ahead. It said in June it will confirm within six weeks of that ruling whether a scheme will go ahead. The regulator also laid out how a possible scheme would look and when any compensation could be paid, estimated to be in 2026. What is the car finance mis-selling scandal? The Car Finance Discretionary Commission Scandal affects those who bought a car, motorbike or van on finance before January 28, 2021. After this date, the FCA banned lenders from using "Discretionary Commission Arrangements" (DCAs). DCAs allowed brokers to increase interest rates on car finance loans, which in turn saw their commission bumped up. It has been classed as an unfair practice because drivers weren't told about the DCAs and therefore thought any deals were a fixed price they couldn't negotiate on. But, anyone who took out a vehicle on finance before January 28, 2021, could have been paying more than they should have. The FCA estimates around 40% of car deals bought on finance before 2021 could be affected. Lloyds Banking Group has set aside £700million for potential compensation relating to the scandal. Barclays has allocated £90million, while Santander said last year it had earmarked £295 million for potential payouts. The Royal Bank of Canada has estimated that the industry's bill for motor finance compensation could stretch to £13billion while Which? estimates it could cost them up to £16billion. What could the compensation scheme look like? Lucy Andrews, deputy consumer editor at The Sun, explains what you need to know. The FCA is mulling over what a redress scheme would look like if the Supreme Court rules that drivers should be compensated. The watchdog will set out rules for how claims will be assessed and calculated. There are two main options for a redress scheme: an opt in, or opt out structure. Under an opt-in scheme, you would have to sign up and confirm you want to be included within a certain time limit. An opt-out scheme would mean that customers are automatically signed up. How to find out if you're affected and next steps The website has a tool you can use to find out if you might be in line for compensation. You can find it via It also lets you draft a letter to submit a complaint to the lender or broker who sold you a car finance deal ahead of any Supreme Court ruling. You can also do this yourself. Sarah Coles, personal finance expert at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "Say (in the letter) why you want to complain, and include as much information as you can. "They should acknowledge your letter within eight weeks, but they don't have to send you a final answer until after December 4 this year – because things have been put on hold while the legal cases rumble on." If you're not happy with your firm's response, you can complain the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Contact details for the FOS can be found via However, it might be worth waiting until the FCA has laid out its next steps for a redress scheme. This is particularly important as some CMCs and law firms have advertised highly speculative figures for how much drivers could be owed in compensation. The FCA has said it will make any scheme easy to take part in without the need for a CMC or law firm. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Scottish Sun
05-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
How long it will take you to save for a home deposit depending on your salary
Plus scroll down to see what your rights are when your flight is cancelled LEVEL UP How long it will take you to save for a home deposit depending on your salary SAVING up for a house deposit if you're earning an average annual salary of £37,000 could take 12 years, but there are ways to fast-track becoming a first-time buyer. With lending rules easing, a mortgage rate summer price war and an interest rate cut looming, experts say now is a good time to get on the property ladder. Lucy Andrews and Emiy Mee explain everything you need to know. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE PROPERTY MARKET In March, strict lending rules about how much buyers can borrow, called the 'stress test', were eased by the city watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority. This made it easier for banks to lend more money to buyers. Since then a price war has broken out among lenders, triggering a flurry of cheaper mortgage deals. Banking giants including Barclays, Nationwide, Halifax and HSBC slashed rates this week, and there are now 65 deals offering fixed rates below four per cent. Even better, rates could fall even further from next month with a drop to the Bank of England base rate widely anticipated. HOW LONG IT COULD TAKE TO SAVE This depends on how much you earn and can put aside, who you're buying with and the price of the property. The average house price is £265,497, so a ten per cent deposit would be £26,549. If you earn the average salary of £37,000 a year, and save five per cent of it (£1,850pa) in a three per cent savings account, it would take 12 years, according to numbers crunched by Hargreaves Lansdown for Sun Money. That's down from 2020, when it would have taken 13 years to save when the average salary was £31k and the average house price was £228,446. Mortgage help ends TODAY and more hot water info released TAKE A SAVINGS SHORTCUT There are a number of ways you can accelerate your path to becoming a homeowner. BANK OF MUM AND DAD If your parents are lucky enough to have savings then they might be willing to give you some cash to put towards a deposit. The Bank of Mum and Dad handed down £9.6billion in 2024, according to estate agent Savills. Parents can still help, even if they don't have cash to spare. They can list their income on the mortgage to boost the amount their child can borrow on guarantor mortgages. Their savings or home will be used as collateral against their child's mortgage application. 'These mortgages are really popular,' said Harry Arnold from the broker Anderson Harris. Beware, parents will have to foot the monthly mortgage bill if the kids can't keep up with payments. THE BANK ACCOUNT TO OPEN Push your savings further by opening a Lifetime Isa. These are generous tax-free savings accounts designed for first-time buyers or saving for retirement. The Government boosts your savings by an extra 25 per cent. You can put in £4,000 a year (which is a whopping 10.8 per cent of a £37,000 salary), which means a maximum bonus of £1,000 per year. However, even if you can't put the maximum in a Lifetime ISA, and put in five per cent of a £37,000 salary (£1,850pa) you would be able to buy in ten years — two years quicker than saving without one. If you were able to save the maximum £4,000 plus £1,000 bonus, it would take you about five years. 'The Lifetime Isa is a brilliant way to turbo boost your savings, and gets you a step closer to owning your first home,' said Sarah Coles from Hargreaves Lansdown. The value of the house must be £450,000 or below, and you will only be able to withdraw money from your account after 12 months of opening it to qualify for the bonus. Otherwise you pay a nasty 25 per cent penalty. NO-DEPOSIT MORTGAGES Some lenders offer no-deposit mortgages, also known as 100 per cent track record mortgages. These are controversial, partly because they were seen to fuel the 2008 financial crisis, but also because they often have higher rates and there is a much higher chance of you falling into negative equity. 'These mortgages may not be a solution for everyone,' said David Hollingworth from the broker L&C Mortgages. 'Do your research carefully and get advice.' SCHEMES TO CHECK Keep an eye out for the reboot of the mortgage guarantee scheme. It closed last month, but the Government has promised it will launch a new version soon. Lenders who signed up were offering mortgages where you only need a five per cent deposit. The First Homes scheme, which gives a discount of 30 to 50 per cent off a new-build home, is also worth considering. Your income must be £80,000 or less. You'll need to be able to get a mortgage for at least half the price of the home. Shared ownership — where you own a smaller percentage of the property and rent the rest — is popular too. But it has drawbacks, such as rising service charges and fees. Often it's available on new-build properties, which suffer from lower house-price growth. 2 There are ways to fast-track becoming a first-time buyer YOUR RIGHTS ON CANCELLED FLIGHTS TENS of thousands of holidaymakers who have seen their getaways ruined by flight cancellations this week have been urged to check their refund rights. As many as 36,000 passengers saw their flights cancelled this week due to strikes over working conditions and pay. 2 What are your rights if your flight is cancelled? Credit: AP EasyJet, Ryanair and AirFrance customers were affected. Ryanair also warned of record flight delays this summer. So what are your rights? GET A REFUND: If your flight takes off or lands in the UK or EU, you are covered by rules that mean you can get a refund and compensation. Connecting flights are covered, but you must have booked all legs of the journey at the same time. Affected passengers will be legally entitled to a full refund or a replacement flight. Airlines don't have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather. 'Passengers should also be provided free refreshments or accommodation, if appropriate to the length of the delay,' said Rory Borland from the consumer site Which?. If you fork out for anything yourself, keep the receipts in a safe place and claim the money back from your airline. Ask your airline for details about how to make a claim for a refund. CLAIM COMPENSATION: If the airline cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or your replacement flight means you arrive at least two hours late to your destination, you could get compensation. How much you could receive will depend on the distance of your flight and the length of delay, but it could be worth between £110 and £520. You'll get the maximum amount if the flight distance is more than 3,500km and you arrive at least four hours after your booked flight should have arrived. Check the Citizens Advice website ( which gives a compensation breakdown for all events. Contact your airline and ask how to make a claim for compensation. You have six years to make a claim, but don't delay – do it quickly before you forget. Write down what happened and provide any evidence, such as receipts. If your flight doesn't begin or end in the UK or EU, check the terms and conditions of the airline's policy. The compensation you receive will depend on the rules in the country the airline is based. HAVING TROUBLE? If you've made a claim for compensation and your airline isn't playing ball, you can complain. Check if the airline is a member of an alternative dispute resolution scheme. You can do this by visiting the Civil Aviation Authority website and searching your airline's name. If it's not part of an alternative dispute resolution scheme, complain to the Civil Aviation Authority. LUCY ANDREW Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Scottish Sun
02-07-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
I'm stuck with a zombie first-time buyer savings account that is worthless – how YOU can avoid it
Help to Buy Isas are designed to get first-time buyers on the ladder - but there are big downsides SAVE ME I'm stuck with a zombie first-time buyer savings account that is worthless – how YOU can avoid it Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) I opened my Help to Buy Isa six years ago after my step-dad told me I needed one as a first-time buyer hoping to get on the ladder. I was 25 at the time and more pre-occupied with spending, instead of saving money - but now I'm taking home ownership seriously, and I've realised the account is useless and I'm stuck with it. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Deputy consumer editor Lucy Andrews is peeved off about her Help to Buy Isa Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd. 2 Millions of savers have a Help to Buy Isa, but there are downsides to the savings account Credit: PA Experts call them "zombie" accounts because they're slowly shuffling towards their expiry date, which is 2030, and many savers' money is stuck in these accounts. Help to Buy Isas were launched in 2015, and the big draw of opening an account was that you get free money from the government for your home. The government gives you an extra 25% on top of what you have saved. You can save up to £200 a month into these accounts, which means that for every £200 you save, the government adds £50, free, to your account. For example, if I saved £12,000 (the maximum) I could get £3,000 extra in theory. Sounds fantastic, but there is a drawback. The Lifetime Isa came along in 2017 to replace the Help to Buy Isa. Anyone aged between 18-39 can open one, and you can use it to save for a first home, or for your retirement. Instead of a monthly savings limit, there's a £4,000 a year savings limit on these accounts. Similarly, you get a 25% bonus from the government. So in theory if I saved the maximum £4,000 a year from 18 to aged 50 (after this point, you can no longer save into the account), I would also get a whopping bonus of £32,000. You can no longer open a Help to Buy Isa - applications closed in 2019, and you have until 2030 to get your bonus. My issue is that I'm stuck with a Help to Buy Isa, when really, I want a Lifetime Isa - which is a bigger, better version of the Help to Buy Isa. Pesky penalties There are several issues I have with the Help to Buy Isa. Me and my husband have been having serious conversations about whether to buy this year. If we go ahead with this plan, I won't be able to transfer my savings into a Lifetime Isa. That's because a Lifetime Isa needs to be open for at least 12 months to be eligible for a bonus. Otherwise, I'll have to pay a nasty 25% penalty on what I've saved in my account. When savers are hit with this penalty, they end up losing the 25% government bonus, but also see 6.25% of their own hard earned cash taken as well. Say you had saved £4,000 in a year, and earned a 25% bonus of £1,000. If you withdrew the total £5,000 in your account before 12 months has passed, you would pay a penalty of £1,250 - which means £250 of your own savings has been lost. Many savers have been stung by this unfair penalty. Over £75million worth of charges were paid by savers in the 2023/24 tax year, according to figures from HMRC. Another issue with the Help to Buy Isa is that the rules are way more restrictive. To qualify for the 25% bonus, your property needs to be worth £250,000 or under (or £450,000 or under in London). If you buy a property more than this amount, then you lose your bonus. Me and my husband aren't sure whether we want to stick in London or move to the country. We need to stay close to the city for work reasons, so we would need to buy in the South East. But with average house prices in this area at £380,428 according to the latest Land Registry figures, it's likely that we would buy a property that busts through the £250,000 threshold. The other annoying thing about a Help to Buy Isa is that you can only save a maximum of £12,000 into this account. That means the maximum bonus you can get is £3,000. With a Lifetime Isa, there is no limit on how much you can save into the account - which means that you get more free money from the government with these accounts. Also, the interest rates are often lower than what you can get on a Lifetime Isa. The big downsides mean that many savers are stuck with these accounts. Some two million people have a Help to Buy Isa with £5billion locked in them. If you do want to transfer your savings out of a Help to Buy Isa and into a Lifetime Isa, you will have to drip feed the money into your new account. You can save £4,000 a year into these accounts, so if you had £8,000 in a Help to Buy Isa, it would take two years to transfer out. If you're happy to make the transfer, you'll need to open a Lifetime Isa first before you move your savings over. Check websites like Which? to see which Lifetime Isas are the best. I realise me and my husband are privileged to be in a position where we are thinking about buying. But the issues with Help to Buy Isas just makes the whole process of getting on the ladder even trickier to achieve. And if there's one thing that would help boost the housing market - it's having more first-time buyers being able to get on the ladder.
Scottish Sun
12-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Scammers tried to convince me they had porn of me – I knew it wasn't true but I almost paid them
Terrifying tactics are being used by scammers to blackmail you into sending money - Lucy Andrews explains the red flags you need to watch out for FRAUD FEAR Scammers tried to convince me they had porn of me – I knew it wasn't true but I almost paid them MY phone pings and an email lands in my inbox. As I open it, my heart starts racing and my hands are shaking: I'm being blackmailed. "Your system has been hacked with a trojan virus," the email says. "It has penetrated your device through adult portals which you sometimes visit. Advertisement 2 Deputy consumer editor Lucy Andrews was targeted as part of a sextortion scam - here's how she spotted it was all fake Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd. 2 Make sure to set your privacy settings high on your social media and messaging platforms to block scammers from contacting you Credit: Getty "I've already made a screen recording. "A video was edited with a pornographic movie that you were watching at that time and masturbating." I had no idea I was being targeted by a fraudster as part of a sextortion scam. This is when criminals threaten to share sexual pictures or videos of you unless you pay them money. Advertisement It's a terrifying experience, and worryingly, these scams are on the rise. Action Fraud released an urgent warning to the public in March about this fraud, when it received over 2,924 reports - a huge increase from 133 reports just the month before. 'Complete control' over my phone I got the email on a Sunday evening last September. I didn't recognise the email address, and had never spoken to the sender. The scammer told me that they had "complete control" over my device, and all my personal information had been copied. Advertisement They told me that they could send the compromising video of me to my email contacts, and through my social media channels. I was told that all I needed to do to make the problem go away, and for no one to bother me again, was to send $1,400 (£1,035) to a Bitcoin wallet. I was given two days to send the money over - or all of my data and videos would become publicly available. I was told that going to the police was useless, as their email and Bitcoin wallet could not be tracked. Advertisement Changing my passwords would be useless, because the data was already saved on their server. "The timer starts immediately," the email read. "Everyone will learn about your passion for the porn sites and more. "Don't forget that reputation is very important and be prudent!" Advertisement How I spotted the red flags Terrified of any compromising images of me being leaked for everyone to see, I nearly handed over the money. But luckily I didn't - as I managed to spot a few red flags in the email that were suspicious. Despite the scammer claiming to know so much sensitive information about me, they never addressed me by name in the email. I thought this was weird, and reminded me of the "spray and pray" tactics scammers may use when targeting victims. Advertisement This is where a fraudster will email the same generic message out to many people, in the hope that someone will fall for it. The email was trying to force me to act quickly and send over money. This is a classic pressure tactic that scammers use to bully you into handing over cash. The scammer said that malicious software had been installed on my device. Advertisement The tell-tale signs of this happening are that apps on your phone keep crashing, strange pop-ups appear, and the battery life shrinks. But my phone was running normally - so I started to doubt if the threats were true. I also went on the National Cyber Security Centre's website to read more about sextortion scams, and discovered that fraudsters will often ask to be paid in Bitcoin - like my scammer. And besides, I don't watch these sorts of videos - so why had the scammer said I accessed porn sites? Advertisement I ignored the email and blocked the email address - but what I should have done in hindsight was report it to the police. If you are not in immediate danger, you can contact your local force by calling 101 to report the scam. I also should have forwarded the email to report@ so the incident could be logged at the National Cyber Security Centre. At the time, I was just relieved that I wasn't being scammed. Advertisement
