Direct Line magazine

Paid ad spoofing: Spot the signs and avoid getting caught out

Updated on: 22 October 2024

Man looking stressed while on a phone call to someone.

If you've just had an accident, you may need to make a call to your insurer. But how can you be sure you’ve dialled the right number? How do you know if you’re talking to someone who can help you, or someone who’s out to scam you?

Paid ad spoofing is a form of insurance fraud. This article will tell you what it is, how to avoid it and what to do if you feel you’ve fallen victim to it.

What is paid ad spoofing?

Picture the scene: you’ve been involved in a prang and need to contact your insurer, but you don’t have their details to hand.

No problem. You whip out your phone and type their name into a search engine before clicking on the first link that appears.

A few clicks later, and you're talking to someone calm and reassuring. They take a few details and then offer to recover your car and take it to a storage facility. You feel relieved to have everything sorted so quickly – but in fact, you’ve just fallen victim to a paid ad spoofing scam.

You now owe thousands to an accident management company that was posing as your insurer, and there’s nothing you can do but pay up.

How does ad spoofing work?

Fraudsters pay to place fake insurance ads on search engines results pages and social media platforms. These ads trick the user into believing they’re contacting their insurer.

While these ads may look genuine, using the familiar branding, logos and colours of well-known insurers, the companies behind them are anything but. They’re scammers, targeting victims when they’re at their most vulnerable.

They rely on the fact that in the aftermath of an accident, you might not be as vigilant as you’d otherwise be, searching quickly on your mobile and clicking on the first option you see.

What happens next can vary. You may be taken to a website where criminals can steal your personal details or even install a virus on your laptop or mobile phone.

Or you could end up talking to an unscrupulous accident management company claiming to be your insurer. At first, they seem helpful. But by the time you realise your mistake, it’s too late.

How can you spot the signs of a spoof ad?

Sadly, one of the reasons this type of fraud is so successful is that it can be difficult to tell a genuine ad from a convincing fake, but there are some signs you can look out for:

Is it an ad?

Does it have the word ‘Ad’ or ‘Sponsored’ next to the search results? It’s unlikely that your insurer will be advertising their emergency services or contact details, so take a moment and scroll down past the ads to the organic search results.

Verify the website

Always double-check the website URL before entering any personal information. Legitimate car insurance websites will have secure, verified URLs, usually starting with "https://" and often featuring a padlock icon in the address bar.

What can I do to protect myself from ad spoofing?

Save important details in your phone
Save phone numbers (like your insurer’s accident helpline or website URL) in your phone, so you're not desperately searching for them in an emergency.

Use official apps
Whenever possible, use the mobile apps provided by your insurance company. These apps are generally more secure than browsing through the web. For example, Direct Line customers can download our app here.

Educate yourself
Stay informed about common online scams and phishing techniques. Awareness is your best defence against falling victim to spoofed ads.

Install security software
Use reputable antivirus and anti-malware software to protect your devices from malicious software. Keep these programs and your operating system updated to ensure optimal security.

Be vigilant
If you’re making a claim, ask your insurer for the names of any third-party service providers that they’ll be using, such as repair and recovery partners or car hire. Only speak to someone if you’re confident that you know who they really are.

What’s Direct Line doing to help combat fraud?

At Direct Line Group, we take all forms of insurance fraud very seriously and we’re doing all we can to help protect our customers.

Stuart Stevens, Head of Commercial and Policy Fraud, says:

“We’re working closely with the Insurance Fraud Bureau to promote awareness and offer protective and practical guidance to those affected by the unscrupulous marketing tactics of these companies. We support the Government’s Online Safety Bill which has highlighted the onus on social media platforms to ensure the credibility and security of those they promote.”

If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, you can report it to the Insurance Fraud Bureau using the IFB's Cheatline. For further information, you can head to the IFB website.

Other scams and frauds to be aware of:

Cash for crash scams

Ghost broking

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