It might look like a perfectly ordinary message. It could come from someone you thought you trusted. Or it could be a phone call that catches you off guard. Whatever the method, the goal is the same. They want your money.
But if you know their secrets, you can spot the red flags before it is too late.
Shari Vahl, who has investigated fraud for the BBC for 20 years, is joined by the criminologist and forensic linguist, Dr Elisabeth Carter, and Alex Wood - a former criminal who now tries to stop scams - to dissect the shadiest techniques criminals use to steal your cash.
In each episode, they dig deep into a different scam, with first-hand accounts from the people targeted, forensic analysis of the techniques and mind games being used - and even secret recordings of the scammers themselves. Scam Secrets will publish weekly from 31 July. Subscribe on BBC Sounds so you never miss an episode. You can also email the Scam Secrets team - tell them which scams you want them to unpick: scamsecrets@bbc.co.uk
It might look like a perfectly ordinary message. It could come from someone you thought you trusted. Or it could be a phone call that catches you off guard. Whatever the method, the goal is the same. They want your money.
But if you know their secrets, you can spot the red flags before it is too late.
Shari Vahl, who has investigated fraud for the BBC for 20 years, is joined by the criminologist and forensic linguist, Dr Elisabeth Carter, and Alex Wood - a former criminal who now tries to stop scams - to dissect the shadiest techniques criminals use to steal your cash.
In each episode, they dig deep into a different scam, with first-hand accounts from the people targeted, forensic analysis of the techniques and mind games being used - and even secret recordings of the scammers themselves. Scam Secrets will publish weekly from 31 July. Subscribe on BBC Sounds so you never miss an episode. You can also email the Scam Secrets team - tell them which scams you want them to unpick: scamsecrets@bbc.co.uk
Getting an unexpected phonecall can be unnerving. If it's from a bailiff saying he's coming to take your possessions and is 40 minutes away, it can be terrifying.
In this episode, Shari Vahl and the Scam Secrets team hear from two people who were subjected to this scarily plausible scam. Linguistics expert Dr Lis Carter and former fraudster Alex Wood pick apart the language used, and explain how the tactics are all designed to manufacture a 'fight or flight' response that plays into the hands of the criminals.
As ever, red flags will be waved - so you'll end up better informed about this sophisticated and manipulative scam.
And on this last episode in our first series of Scam Secrets, we'll even hear exactly what happened when a scammer tried similar tactics on Shari.
If there's a scam you want the Scam Secrets team to look at, you can get in touch: scamsecrets@bbc.co.uk
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
Your phone pings - it's a loved one who needs your help. Would you know what to do?
Lots of us have received the 'Hello Mum' text - sometimes it's dead easy to spot. But what if the circumstances fit, and they catch you completely unawares?
In this episode, Shari Vahl, Alex Wood, and Dr Elisabeth Carter discuss how the scam, which preys on parental instinct and urgency, is getting increasingly cunning - and they examine the tools the fraudsters use to manipulate us.
Listener Anne, who was almost conned out of £2,000, tells her story. Guest expert Nick Sharp from the National Crime Agency tells us how these criminals are targeting us - and he's no exception, having recently received a Hello Dad message that landed on his work phone.
As ever, the red flags will be waving when there's something to watch out for, and you'll be armed with the knowledge to steer well clear of the criminals.
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
Who could resist the offer of a free grand piano? Or a remarkably cheap campervan? Just as long as you pay for delivery - but that's a small price to pay, right?
This episode of Scam Secrets is about those times when you're offered something - perhaps something you've always fancied - on amazingly good terms. It's a scam - otherwise Shari Vahl, Dr Lis Carter and Alex Wood wouldn't be talking about it. Luckily they've got their red flags ready to tell you what to watch out for.
In this episode, Lis delves into the language used by the criminals - explaining how they trigger our desire for a musical instrument we didn't know we wanted - and former scammer Alex shares his insight into how people are manipulated by delivery scams like these.
The Scam Secrets guest expert is Dr Jack Whittaker - an academic who wrote his PHD on precisely this kind of fraud. He tells the team where these scams come from and how to see them coming.
Remember - if there's a scam you think we should be talking about, you can email the show: scamsecrets@bbc.co.uk
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
A trusted celeb seems to be promoting a crypto investment. Would you know what to do?
In this episode of Scam Secrets, Shari Vahl, Dr Elisabeth Carter and former criminal Alex Wood hear how an apparent endorsement from a trusted celebrity paved the way for the relentless psychological manipulation of a couple, with devastating consequences.
The team discuss how helpless people can even be made to lie to their own banks while under the spell of criminals, and they highlight the red flags to watch out for so you can spot what the fraudsters are doing.
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
A letter arrives at your home - addressed to a company you've never heard of. Would you know what to do?
Criminals are registering companies at innocent people's addresses at a shocking scale - sometimes covering an entire street at a time. In this episode, Shari Vahl, Dr Elisabeth Carter and former fraudster Alex Wood find out the alarming consequences if your home is targeted - and how to fight back.
Fake companies expert Graham Barrow joins the programme to explain what the criminals are after, and to discuss whether Companies House's latest crackdown is working.
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
You've spotted a nice cardigan on social media - the website looks legit. So you buy one. It doesn't feel like a scam...
In this episode, Shari Vahl and the Scam Secrets regulars - Dr Lis Carter and Alex Wood - unravel a global scam that relies on people buying pieces of clothing they've seen advertised on social media. As the team find out, what arrives is very much not what they've been hoping for. Who is doing this, and why? And how do you spot the red flags that mean you'll be bitterly disappointed if you click 'purchase'? But this is a scam that goes way beyond a rubbish cardigan and the criminals aren't just after your money.
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
You've met someone online. You chat every night and it's going well - but then they need your help. Would you know what to do?
Romance fraud cost people more than £400m last year - and that's just the cases that were reported.
In this episode, BBC reporter Shari Vahl, criminologist Dr Elisabeth Carter and former scammer Alex Wood dissect the harrowing story of a woman who sent £80,000 to a man she believed was her soulmate.
Step by step, they uncover the criminal's elaborate tactics - from the powerful use of silence and love bombing, to a fake banking app and lies about a trip to hospital.
They highlight the red flags to watch out for and how to see criminals coming.
You can email the team at scam.secrets@bbc.co.uk
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL
PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
Your bank is on the phone. The man knows all your details. He says there's a problem on your account. Would you know what to do?
Scam Secrets is the new series lifting the lid on the techniques criminals use to steal your money.
BBC reporter Shari Vahl is joined by criminologist and forensic linguist Dr Elisabeth Carter and former scammer Alex Wood to get inside the mind of the criminals and highlight the red flags that should set alarm bells ringing.
In this first episode, they hear how a seemingly innocuous TV licensing email paved the way for a scarily sophisticated scam that drained a businesswoman's bank account.
If you've got a scam you want the team to dissect, email scamsecrets@bbc.co.uk
PRESENTER: SHARI VAHL PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY
Criminals will try anything to steal your money - but if you know their techniques, you can see the scams coming. In this series, BBC fraud reporter Shari Vahl analyses some of the most shocking scams she's covered, dissecting how they work piece-by-piece.
To do this, she's joined by the criminologist and forensic linguist Dr Elisabeth Carter, and Alex Wood - a former criminal who stole millions then dedicated his life to trying to prevent scams from harming others. Together they will arm you with the inside knowledge you need to beat the fraudsters.
In this special introduction episode, they reveal what is coming up in the series – everything from a devastating dating scam to fake celebrities and a bizarre cardigan - with terrifying phone calls, victim testimonies and secret recordings of the criminals themselves.
Scam Secrets will publish weekly from 31 July. Subscribe on BBC Sounds so you never miss an episode.
