Scamwatch: Sun newspaper fraud

Stay one step ahead of the fraudsters with our series of articles giving you the lowdown on the scams they use to trick people out of their hard-earned cash - and how to avoid being taken in by them.

This week, we investigate a scam involving fraudsters posing as employees of the Sun newspaper.

How does it work?

Criminals have scammed a number of Britons out of thousands of pounds by pretending to be Sun employees offering them a chance to feature in the paper for a refundable fee.

Using what appeared to be a genuine Sun email address and phone number, the fraudsters tricked people into handing over various sums that they said would be refunded by calling up posing as a reporter in need of interview subjects at short notice.

The victims, many of whom paid out more than £1,000, were then told that they would be interviewed by a freelance writer, whose fee would only be paid by the paper once the article was given the green light.

That's when they were asked to transfer money to a bank account to cover the journalist's costs.

How can I avoid being caught out?

The cleverest part of this scam was that the fraudsters found a way to make it appear they were calling from a genuine Sun number and emailing from a Sun email account.

However, newspaper reporters will never call up potential interview subjects asking them to pay for the privilege.

If you receive a call asking you to transfer money to appear in a paper, the best thing to do is therefore to cut off the caller and ignore any further calls or emails.

I've been defrauded. What should I do?

The Sun has reported all the cases it has been contacted about to the police, and is investigating how the fraudsters were able to make it seem they were genuine Sun employees.

If you have been caught out by this scam, it is therefore worth contacting the paper on 020 7782 7000, as well as Action Fraud (0300 123 2040).