Honorary Degree highlights Fraud

The University of Eversham has awarded James an Honorary Doctorate for his efforts in education to increase fraud awareness in the UK.

The award, Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science was conferred on James at a special ceremony at Thorp Hall hosted by the University’s College of Life Sciences.

An expert pickpocket and stealth crime expert, James is best known for his live performances but he also uses his unique knowledge of deception, persuasion and social engineering to educate and increase fraud awareness. In 2015 he was appointed by the City of London Police as the UK’s first Fraud Prevention Ambassador.

Speaking at the ceremony James said, “I am surprised and delighted to receive this incredible award. Anyone can fall victim to a fraud but the most vulnerable people in society are often most affected. Fraud education is a collective social responsibility and highlighting the issue is the best way to beat the bad guys. So I am thrilled that the University has recognised this important work in this way. Honestly, it’s unbelievable.”

Chancellor of the University, Professor Anthony Curtis, who made the presentation, hopes that James’ work will inspire students to develop a questioning attitude in their own studies.

“By conferring an honorary degree to interesting people such as James Freedman the University highlights the importance of knowledge in improving people’s lives, as well as recognising achievement at the highest level. I am delighted to be part of today’s ceremony and congratulate each of our honorary graduates on their incredible achievements.”

(Photos: Joseph Shea)

Facebook: the fraudster’s friend

I’ve deleted my Facebook page and I’d like to explain why. Over the last few years I’ve pickpocketed tens of thousands of people, skimmed thousands of bank cards, hacked phones, made hundreds of fake passports & counterfeit driving licences and stolen the identities of more innocent victims than I can remember… but I’m no criminal.

As a child I became fascinated with the art of picking pockets and like anyone fascinated with something, I began to study - the history of pickpockets, the special language they use, psychological tricks and the sleight of hand techniques they adopt. I met and learned from street thieves and somehow managed to turn these, admittedly rather niche skills into a career as an entertainer, stealing and giving it all back for fun. But the more I learned, the more I realised that physically picking pockets was a dying art because like most businesses, theft was moving online.

When I was writing my last theatre show I began to wonder if I could steal something more than wallets, watches, jewellery and phones. Could I steal the identity of a member of the audience? It turned out the answer was, ‘Yes, eight times a week including matinees’ although finding that answer involved a journey via police, respected academics and criminals into a murky world of scammers, con men and thieves. So I suppose it was inevitable that when my identity theft show opened in the West End, that the police would take an interest in what I was up to. What I didn’t anticipate was the thoroughness of their vetting or that when they were finally satisfied that I was on the right side of the law, they would invite me to become the UK Fraud Prevention Ambassador. Now I pick pockets, hack phones, reveal passwords and PIN numbers to show just how easily our digital lives can be destroyed.

I often refer to Facebook as “the fraudster’s friend”. It is the first place I go to when trying to target somebody. Photos of their family, homes, schools and workplaces, travel habits, friends and the answers to security questions are all frequently available. The amount of personal information people willingly give Mark Zuckerberg & co is as astonishing as it is foolhardy. If you don’t believe me, just download a copy of your data – it takes just three clicks and for most users, is enough to change their social media habits. You see on Facebook, even savvy users who have checked all their security settings are only as safe as their least secure friend. It doesn’t matter how locked down your own account may be, if anyone likes your profile picture then I can see their name and find their account. Perhaps they have photos of your wedding or your last holiday? Perhaps that friend request from a long lost colleague is actually me, hiding behind a stolen photo?

The page I deleted was just a public page with videos, some fraud prevention advice and news about my live shows and the odd TV appearance. There was no personal information there so I wasn’t particularly worried about the risk. So why delete it? The truth is I don’t want to give anyone any reason to stay on Facebook. I don’t know why it took me so long and from today, Facebook free, I won’t ask you to change your password or check your privacy settings… because I think you should delete your account too.

James Freedman
UK Fraud Prevention Ambassador… and thief

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How to delete your Facebook account safely.

Of course, Facebook have a few tricks to keep you signed up, after all they are making billions with your data, so you’ll quickly find their preferred option to deactivate your account but that just means it’s not deleted and they still keep all your data! Even if you do deactivate, Facebook Messenger keeps on working, collecting your information and reading your messages, so you need to deactivate Messenger too… but you can only do that if you’ve already deactivated your main Facebook account. See how simple they’ve made it for you?

Interestingly, completely deleting a Facebook account is not without risk. Get it wrong and you could be worse off. Before deleting, check all websites or apps that you access using your Facebook name and password and close them or set up independent login details, otherwise you may lock yourself out of those. The most recent Facebook failure effectively compromised all those third party sites and apps for 30 million users. The previous failure featuring Cambridge Analytica affected 87 million users who unknowingly had their personal data used for political or financial benefit. What data? Facebook has admitted it revealed phone numbers, emails, usernames, gender, local language, religion, relationship status, hometown, current city, date of birth, make & model of all devices used to access Facebook, education history, employer details, type of work, the last 10 places users checked into or were tagged in, websites, people or Facebook pages they follow and the 15 most recent searches. Never mind hackers, do you really still want to share your life with Facebook? If you do, then at the very least please turn off Facebook's integration with apps, games and websites to reduce the amount of your private information given or sold to third parties.

Finally, before deleting your account I recommend you change your password to prevent any of your own devices automatically signing in again, because if you log back in to the account too soon after deleting it, your delete request is cancelled and the account it restored. Facebook really doesn’t want to lose all your valuable data.

Which is why if you do ask Facebook to delete your account, it’s rather like an addict asking their dealer for help. You’ll need enough willpower to go cold turkey for 14 days before they “initiate the deletion process” and even then, if you change your mind within a month, your request will be cancelled. Even after all that, Facebook say it can take up to three months for them to delete all your information.

Keynote in Cannes

James presented his one-man show ‘James Freedman: Man of Steal’ at Le Palais des Festivals in Cannes last week as closing keynote for the Information Security Forum Congress.

Following its West End run, the hit show is now being snapped up by businesses looking for a unique and memorable way to improve fraud awareness in their teams.

“We all have a shared responsibility for keeping ourselves safe” said James, “You don't need to know how every fraud works but if you understand how the bad guys think, you'll never be a victim.”

The interactive show is based on a life-time spent studying fraudsters, criminals and con-men. James demonstrates just how easily he can steal your phone, skim your credit cards and even sell your house, while revealing real secrets which make any business more resilient to social engineering and fraud

Hacked on camera

Catch James on 'Police Interceptors' tomorrow on Channel 5. James shows Ortis Deley and Rick Edwards how to secure their mobile devices and explains what fraudsters can do with your personal details.

Rick Edwards, James Freedman and Ortis Deley

Police Interceptors: Smash & Grab starts 6th Feb at 8pm on Channel 5

Passport Hustle... again

James has been pinching passports for the Foreign Office again to show just how easily you could get scammed. Last year the Passport Hustle campaign reached over 100,000 people, helping to raise awareness of the tricks thieves use to steal over 20,000 UK passports each year. This year, James is back with some new tricks which show just how easily he can swipe yours.

James said, “With identity theft on the rise, the actual cost of losing your passport could be thousands of pounds. Criminals and con-men are always evolving the tricks they use to target tourists, but these simple tips will really help you to stay safe. Always trust your instincts and be aware of anyone invading your personal space.”

Quick! Transfer all your money.

NatWest customer Annette Jeffreys

Think about it. Why would your bank, or any bank for that matter, ask a customer to move money to a “safe” account to avoid fraud? Can;t think of a good reason? That’s because their isn’t one.

Yet this is the kernel of a lie being told by fraudsters to hundreds if not thousands of people every single day.

Telegraph Money journalist Richard Evans asked James to help explain how fraudsters persuaded this victim to transfer her savings out of her bank. More importantly, the article includes James' tips and advice to avoid cyber crime.

Read the full article here

Beat the Scammers

Video: James has been helping TalkTalk and Get Safe Online to Beat the Scammers, by revealing common tactics of phone fraudsters. Telephone and internet scams across the UK have reached an unprecedented high, with Britons now more likely to receive a landline call from a scammer, than from our best friends or family members.

With these crimes getting more frequent and more sophisticated, it's no surprise that nearly half of those surveyed by TalkTalk confessed they would be unable to spot a scam if it happened to them.

To address this problem and help people better protect themselves, James worked with TalkTalk to reveal five of the most common techniques scammers use.

Not with my name

James was asked by City of London Police to share some simple ways you can stay safe from identity fraud. James said, "I hope people will share this video with their family and friends. In just two and a half minutes, anyone can learn how to keep their personal information safe from fraudsters.

Reach for the SKY

Ahead of his new show, see what happened when James dropped in to the Sky News studio.

Do it like a (Fake) Boss

The latest figures from Action Fraud reveal that a modern version of the 'Fake Boss' scam led to 964 reports and losses of over £32 million in the last six months.

The scam typically targets employees in finance departments, but don't think that the fraudsters are only attacking big companies, small businesses are actually more likely targets.

How does the 'Fake Boss' scam work

An employee in a company's accounts department receives an email from the boss or senior colleague asking them to make a payment or transfer company funds. The email address and signature both look genuine but the email is fake, sent from a fraudster who hopes to con the unwitting employee to pay out.

Last week, a company I know was defrauded out of £35,000. The email account of one of the Directors was spoofed and an email sent to the Finance Manager requesting a transfer. The Finance Manager tried to check with the Director who was in a meeting, so she asked for confirmation by email and the scammers confirmed!

If you're thinking, "this doesn't apply to me" then think again. How would you react if your boss sent you an email asking you to transfer money to another account in the company's name? Or if an employee or supplier emailed you to say they had moved banks and provide you with their new bank account details?

The weak link with this scam, as with so many others, is the very human desire to believe people we know. But it is a fact today that emails, texts or other messages can easily be faked. So even those that appear to come from trusted sources, simply cannot be trusted.

What can you do to avoid this scam?

This is the same advice I give to avoid all scams. Be cautious.

Any unexpected instruction or message relating to a payment or transfer, including any request that does not fall within your standard processes, should be checked face to face or by phone.

A simple idea...

A friend of mine is a PA to the Managing Director of a small business. She told me recently that the Finance Director had sent all staff an email warning about the rise in this type of 'Fake Boss' scam. "The problem is" she told me, "my boss frequently emails me to arrange payments when he's out of the office... and he's not the sort of person who likes his instructions to be questioned."

Her solution? "We've agreed that if he has to email a payment instruction and I can't call him for any reason, that I should email him back a random word. He will then TEXT me that word plus a secret word we both know, as confirmation that I'm really dealing with him.

This is a simple but clever idea. Whilst it won't suit everyone, it does prove yet again that a little thought and understanding about how fraudsters think and operate, is often the best to stay safe.

For the latest fraud prevention news and tips follow @jamesfreedman

City News - Crime at Kings Cross Underground.

With the latest crime figures on the London Underground network released this week, James was interviewed by City News. When talk turned to pickpockets. of course he couldn’t help himself…

Pickpocket At The Palace

James was delighted to entertain HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and their guests again this week.

Thieves love Christmas

It's that time of year when many of us start thinking about doing our Christmas shopping - but police say it's also a time when more us are targeted by thieves.

Following the launch of Operation Blizzard for the Metropolitan Police this week, James appeared on ITV News showing just how to stay safe from pickpockets.

Police enlist a pickpocket!

James was asked to launch Operation Blizzard for the Metropolitan Police with a private performance of his fraud themed show to a specially invited audience of police officers, police partners and business people.

Following the launch James appeared on ITV News showing just how to stay safe from pickpockets.

Following its West End run, the acclaimed ‘Man of Steal’ is now being snapped up by businesses, banks (and now police!) looking for a unique and memorable way to improve fraud awareness among stakeholders and internal teams.

James Freedman with Chief Superintendent Peter Ayling

Hi-de-ID

James was picking pockets for a City of London Police video last week to highlight the risks of ID fraud. After the shoot, he pointed out how many people were their full names, employers and other personal information! If you wear a badge or pass at work, remember to remove it when you step outside.

Passport Hustle

Can you spot James at ‘work’ in this image?

James has been working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, revealing the secrets of pickpockets in a video campaign aimed at reducing the number of British Passports being stolen each year. To read the full Government Press Release click HERE

The FCO have teamed up with stealth crime expert and 'honest pickpocket' James Freedman, to highlight some of the ways in which you could get hustled for your passport. Be aware of your surroundings and take care of your passport. Be #PassportAware.

Passport pickpockets' brazen tricks laid bare… HERE

Travel advice from the FCO… HERE

Stealing the (breakfast) show

James was on BBC Breakfast today discussing personal security, stealth crime and his West End show with Bill Turnbull & Louise Minchin

James’s West End show MAN OF STEAL exposes how the bad guys really work as he shares a life-time spent studying hustlers, street criminals and con-men. 

For tickets visit Trafalgar Studios website here

New Police Role

James yesterday at Trafalgar Studios

LATEST NEWS: The current run of 'James Freedman: Man of Steal' will be ending on 20 June. James has been appointed by City of London Police as the UK's first Fraud Prevention Ambassador and in this role will be working with the police to raise awareness of modern stealth and cyber crime across the UK. James plans to stage his one-man show again in the foreseeable future and said, “I am delighted that the show has been so well received and excited by this opportunity to use my skills again for important crime prevention work.

Who knows your PIN?

James popped in to 'This Day Live' yesterday to chat with James Wright about his West End show 'Man of Steal'. You can hear what he said (and see what he stole!) in this video.