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Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Map that shows winners of £100m in unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes: There's ELEVEN £100,000 bounties up for grabs
Millions of Premium Bonds holders are owed prizes worth up to £100,000 that they have yet to claim, Money Mail analysis shows. For the first time on record, the total number of prizes yet to be claimed has tipped beyond £100 million, at National Savings & Investments (NS&I). There are 2,598,139 unclaimed prizes ranging from £25 to £100,000 – totalling £103,270,175 as of this month. This sum has ballooned 21.9 per cent compared with this time last year, with some unclaimed prizes dating back as far as November 1957. Why have unclaimed prizes hit £100million? Premium Bonds are one of the most popular ways to save – some 24 million Britons hold them. Deposits are 100 per cent backed by the Treasury and prizes are tax-free. But as millions of prizes are paid out every month, some go unclaimed – despite NS&I offering an array of alerts and the option to pay winnings into a nominated bank account. NS&I explained most unclaimed prizes are being won by holders who 'have not registered their details or have moved without telling us and their cheques are being returned'. A spokesperson added: 'Prizes are considered to be unclaimed after 18 months, so gradually accumulate every month.' Of the 32,289 unclaimed prizes in January 2024 – the most recent draw for which prizes are now being classed as unclaimed – the majority were sent to winners as cheques. Sylvia Morris, Money Mail's savings expert, explains: 'Hundreds of thousands of cheques are still sent out each month. At one in ten prizes paid by cheque, that's around 600,000 cheques sent out in July alone. It is those people who have prizes sent in the post – moving house or moving into care homes and not updating details – who are missing out.' NS&I had attempted to phase out paying prizes by cheque and pay all directly to customers' bank accounts in 2020, but scrapped the plan in 2021. NS&I insists Premium Bonds prizes are 'never lost' and it will pay out unclaimed prizes no matter how long ago the bonds were purchased. A spokesperson says: 'We want to reunite Premium Bonds holders with their winnings. 'That's why we frequently publicise unclaimed prizes and encourage bond holders to use our prize checkers, register old paper bonds, and use our tracing service to track down mislaid bonds.' Where are these winners based? Bond holders in the South-East have the highest number of unclaimed prizes – a total of 389,713 worth nearly £15 million. Next is London with 386,616 unclaimed prizes worth £15.3 million. No £1 million prizes are unclaimed. NS&I uses a dedicated staff member named 'Agent Million' who knock on winners' doors and help track down those who scoop a jackpot. The highest value individual unclaimed prizes are worth £100,000 and there are 11 of them. Stockport is home to one of these top prizes, handed out in the September 2010 draw. A further two are owed to winners based in London, two in the North-West, one in Scotland, and a further two in the South-West and West Midlands. Three unclaimed £100,000 winners are located overseas or in an unknown location. The oldest unclaimed prize is £25 won in November 1957 by a winner from Yorkshire and the Humber. There are 432,052 prizes worth £19.4 million owed to those overseas or dubbed by NS&I as location 'unknown'. This is where a bond holder has either not registered their bonds or contact details are out of date and NS&I has not been informed. How do you trace unclaimed prizes? If you think you may have an unclaimed prize, check using NS&I's online prize checker or the prize checker app. Go to NS&I's prize-checker here You will need to know your bond or NS&I number to use this service. If you have neither, you can use NS&I's dedicated tracing service by post or online. NS&I doesn't actively track down prize winners but has a small team that will help trace old bond numbers when contacted via this link. They should be able to help even if you have moved address and do not know where your bonds are registered or if you have lost old paper certificates. The NS&I's tracing team recently united a family in Scotland with a £100,000 prize belonging to their relative who had passed away with scant details. The family got in touch with the tracing team for help ascertaining if their relative had ever won a prize. It was discovered he'd won the six-figure sum in June 2013 from a £10 bond. A spokesperson said: 'Our tracing team does additional checks for customers with high-value prizes to see if they can be matched to new addresses. 'NS&I needs to ensure that it uses taxpayer money wisely while balancing the interests of savers, taxpayers and the broader financial services sector. It is therefore important people keep us up to date with their contact and bank details.' NS&I has a service called MyLostAccount, which is associated with UK Finance and the Building Societies Association. It can be used to trace old accounts with other providers as well as NS&I. If you have an ancient Premium Bond and want to check if it has won any prizes, you can register an original paper bond online or by calling NS&I on 08085 007 007. If you do not have internet access or can't print off a form, you can phone NS&I and it will post a form to you. You can also write to the Tracing Service, NS&I, Sunderland SR43 2SB, providing your full name and current address, address at the time you invested and, crucially, any other previous addresses, your previous name if it has changed through marriage or divorce, when you opened your account and the amount you invested. You can also add any other information you think might be relevant to track down the bonds. People can also ask to trace bonds for someone else if they have power of attorney or are an executor of a will. moneymail@
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The tweaks that could boost your wealth by a staggering £86,000... and it all starts by taking this easy quiz: Money expert LUCY EVANS
There is one simple trick you need to boost your wealth by tens of thousands of pounds – and it will only take you around half an hour a week. Having financial confidence is the key to boosting your total wealth by an average of £86,000, regardless of how much you earn, a study for Money Mail reveals. And building up your confidence is easier and less time-consuming than you think – even if you are starting from scratch.
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Have YOU been priced out of your childhood hometown? We reveal the areas with the biggest jump in house prices in the last 20 years... and the spots that are bucking the trend
Homeowners often dream of returning to their childhood neighbourhood later in life and many young adults aspire to buy in the area where they grew up. But growing numbers of hopeful first-time buyers will find these dreams dashed as average price tags have soared faster than wage growth. In one area – Merton, London – the average property price has grown by 147 pc in the last two decades, Money Mail can reveal. Your browser does not support iframes.
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The SIX ways to win a Bingo jackpot: Experts reveal their winning strategies - and they could net you £100k!
Although bingo is essentially gambling – which Money Mail would never recommend to readers concerned about taking care of their finances – it's risen hugely in popularity in recent years. And readers are increasingly asking us questions about beating the odds on lottery-style schemes, including Premium Bonds, the National Lottery and now bingo.
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
How fake 'Reese Witherspoon' tried to cheat us out of thousands: She sent this convincing video and showed ID. But now we expose this devious new crime wave
If your favourite celebrity started to chat with you on social media, you might be sceptical that it was really them. But what if they had an official-looking account and sent you videos and photographs of themselves reassuring you they were genuine? Growing numbers of victims are being caught out by these so-called 'deepfake' scams, in which scammers use new computer software to create authentic-looking but completely bogus profiles of famous people to ensnare their fans. Keen to understand how fraudsters do this, Mark Lewis and Nick Stapleton, hosts of BBC One TV series Scam Interceptors, went undercover to expose their tricks. 'The crime has doubled in the past year and is one of the fastest growing and manipulative scams,' says Stapleton. Today they show Money Mail readers how scammers do it – and how you can beat them. Be wary of fake social media ticks Fraudsters often lurk in celebrity fan groups on social media platforms such as Facebook. These pages are typically set up by genuine fans, but can be exploited by fraudsters who cast their net to ensnare victims. To experience it for himself, Mark Lewis set up a profile on Facebook. He then joined a celebrity fan group for Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon, which he found by tapping her name in the search box on Facebook. Lewis says: 'I was then bombarded with messages from people claiming to be the actual celebrity in a chat forum. Four people claimed to be the legitimate Reese Witherspoon. 'I decided to chat with one of them to see what happens. I chose an individual going by the name of 'Reece Witherspoon private account'. The profile of this person contained a blue tick, which indicates that a user has signed up to a premium subscription. Such a £9.99-a-month service is often used by brands and celebrities to show that the site is legitimate, though is still no guarantee that you are dealing with the genuine star. The blue tick should appear alongside the user's profile picture. In this case, the tick was within the profile picture – but if you are unaware of the correct positioning you could mistake it for being an authorised account. Stapleton, who is also author of the book How to Beat Scammers, says: 'Facebook is a favourite place for scammers as it is mostly used by those aged in their fifties and above who might not be as technically savvy as younger social media users. They may have heard that the blue tick is important – but not fully understand it. This is dangerous if they mistake this for being genuine.' Beware fake pictures and videos Lewis sent a message to the Facebook user purporting to be Reese Witherspoon and received a flirty message back. 'Hello sweetheart,' it said, with an emoji kiss image. It may seem unlikely that a celebrity would interact with a stranger on social media, but Stapleton says a fan may wish a fantasy to be real, so will convince themselves it is genuine. Scammers exploit this weakness. The scammers then sent a video that appeared to be of Reese Witherspoon to allay any doubts that the fan may be having. In it, she says: 'Hello. I'm real. So if you do not believe me I do not know what to tell you. This is me. Have a good day'. However, new software allows criminals to create such deepfake videos or images. In this case, the real Reese Witherspoon has probably never uttered those words, but the scammers can create videos to make it appear as if that is what she is doing. It requires no expertise and the software is available for free online. Stapleton says: 'This deepfake technology is alarmingly good. Look closely and you may be able to see flaws in some of the basic clips and videos, such as the lip movements not quite linking up with words being said or facial expressions looking slightly disconnected to the way a head moves. But you can easily fall for their tricks.' The crooks do not have to be technically adept. They scan images of the person they want to deepfake and then enter the words they want them to say. The software can then digitally manipulate the images to make it appear as if they are speaking them. Lewis also received an image of Witherspoon that appeared to show her holding a picture of her driving licence to the camera. This had a real image of the star taken from a screenshot on her social media platform Instagram, but a fake hand holding a driving licence had been added by the fraudster. Stay alert to a privacy request By this point, the scammer may have their victim ensnared – now they have to keep them in their thrall. After Lewis received the deepfake video and picture, the fake Witherspoon messaged him again: 'Let's chat. I will tell you a secret,' followed by 'Can i trust you with my personal Zangi number? I will be blocking my fanpage soon and I want us to relate with each other privately, Mark.' The scammer also addressed him by name – another trick to make the interaction seem personal. Zangi is a messaging service that focuses on privacy. Lewis explains that scammers will convince their victims to move away from the platform they started on to another one, to help them fly under the radar of web invigilators. They will often ask their victim to talk privately so they don't share details with family or friends who might warn them that it sounds like a scam. Once the chat moved on to the other platform the tone changed – to a language designed to make the victim think they had their own secret way of talking to one another. The scammer texted: '614'. This was followed by: 'This is our secret code it means whenever I text you 614 that mean Love of my life'. As strange as the message might sound, this can be a successful technique for drawing innocent victims further in. Brace yourself for a money request Scammers are masters at knowing when to move in for the kill and ask for your money – but understand that pouncing too soon frightens off victims. The Witherspoon copycat waited a week before the conversation took the all too predictable turn, texting: 'Yes that reminds me, do you have my membership form or card?' They explained that this would enable Lewis to call and meet the Hollywood star. When he asked how to get this card, the scammer messaged him: 'For the VIP membership card you are to pay $1000'. They went on to suggest that he pays using Paypal, a gift card or Bitcoin. 'I will advise you to go for gift card cause it's more reliable and easier to access,' they added. Victims are encouraged to buy gift cards online to the value suggested by the scammer. The cards are digital and activated with a code. Gift cards are one of the favourite payment methods demanded by criminals because the moment you share the gift card code with them it is all over – and incredibly difficult to retrieve the money. Don't be fooled by bogus middlemen Lewis made several calls to the phone number from which he had received the text messages. No one answered. But then he received a text claiming to be from the manager for Reese Witherspoon, giving the name Rick Yorn. Lewis searched for the name online and found it was a legitimate Hollywood producer. This is yet another trick – by giving the name of a real person, victims may believe the correspondence is genuine. Lewis responded: 'I'm ready to buy my VIP membership' and the scammer replied to ask him for two gift cards valued at $500 each. Two hours later – after receiving no money from Lewis – someone called back claiming to be Reese's manager. The crook explained that for a further $1,000 it would be possible to buy a Golden VIP gift card that 'allows you Reese Witherspoon to meet'. Be ready to walk away If you're in any doubt about someone you're talking to on social media – or if they ask you for money out of the blue – walk away. Lewis and Stapleton are experts so they decided to challenge the crooks about the scam – but do not encourage others to do the same. They have seen the same deepfake fraud carried out using the identity of other celebrities, including Jenna Ortega, Donny Osmond, Tom Cruise and Bruce Willis. When Lewis asked directly why the scammer was trying to steal people's money, he immediately hung up. When he phoned again, the scammer said: 'What the **** are you talking about? Why should you call me a scammer?' then hung up again. He then sent another deepfake video of someone saying 'I want to tell you I am the real Reese Witherspoon I know. There are a lot of imposters claiming to be me. But I want to let you know I am the real Reese Witherspoon.' This was followed by yet more texts: 'What?? You called my management a scammer?? I just got a report from him now.' It shows how crooks can keep up an intimidating charade even when exposed. Scam Interceptors contacted Facebook about the scam and was told it had 'removed the contact' and that it uses automated and manual systems to block accounts that abuse its standards but it is looking for way to improve its 'detection and enforcement'. Messaging app Zangi said it was 'made anti-targeting and anti-scam by design' and it 'enforces illegal activity countermeasures' – suggesting victims can take screenshots as evidence that can be taken to the police. If you are victim of a scam, immediately tell your bank to see if they can reimburse your money. Report a crime to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
