Scammers, even clever people are getting conned out of serious money.

[ebikeerwidnes]

I had a scam email yesterday - it was either very coincidental or someone had hacked nationwide BSoc. I'll explain......
I had a regular savings account which was about reach its 1 year anniversary, so the balance is then put in a current account paying a very low interest. No problem with that, it was in the terms when I started the account, and they also sent a notification by email a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday morning I received an email from Nationwide saying they had put the funds into a current account, and I was welcome to re-start with a new savings account after 24 hours, or (of course) invest in something else of my choice with them or a competitor.
In the afternoon, I received an email saying my latest statement is available for viewing - I could click the link on the phone to get an email. It was then I noticed the 'partial postcode' was shown as slightly different as the 5th digit was 2 instead of 0. I looked at the earlier email, and that had the correct partial postcode. They had copied every detail of Nationwide, including the text warning of suspicious correspondence. The only thing different was they hadn't used my full name (Nationwide had), but called me Mr XXXXXXX (not the usual Dear customer). It would have been easy to fall for it, and what would have happened? I reported to their phishing facility. Be careful out there.

They are clever in many ways

Probably sent it out to loads of people knowing that x% will be a Nationwide customer and of them y% will have had that account

emails are cheap - pretty much zero cost - so sending millions is not a loss and has a potential gain

 

[Fastpedaller]

They are clever in many ways

Probably sent it out to loads of people knowing that x% will be a Nationwide customer and of them y% will have had that account

emails are cheap - pretty much zero cost - so sending millions is not a loss and has a potential gain

A strange coincidence though - I've never had one previously. It's almost as if they have the info about the account maturing (which could happen in any one of 365 days).

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I had an advert for Bitcoin appear on my phone screen about 6 weeks ago, telling me that a 'simple investment of £10,000 would yield me £250,000 in a few months'. They gave it away when they used multi millionaire ex footballer, now BBC football pundit Alan Shearer

Nope, what gave it away was “£10,000 will yield £250,000 in a few months.“

 

[Ming the Merciless]

We reached impasse so I said I would hang up and call the number on the back of my card

Always call from a different phone as well if you can. Prevents the ones where the line stays open and you haven’t really dialled your bank.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

Always call from a different phone as well if you can. Prevents the ones where the line stays open and you haven’t really dialled your bank.

I was using a mobile at the time and the move to VOIP will all but eradicate that possibility once all the copper lines have gone.

 

[colly]

Mind you banks do not exactly help themselves.

I had trouble using my credit card, on one particular website the card would simply not go through. I tried my debit card and again it was refused. I went to another company and used my credit card to buy what I wanted and the card worked fine.
Thinking it was perhaps a scam website just collecting card numbers and security numbers, I called the bank. Told them what had happened and cancelled my cards. We went through recent transactions and nothing I didnt recognised came up, and even though it was only an hour or so since my cards were declined, I put a stop on both cards just in case. I was transferred to the card department where I had to go the entire story again, give details on what I wanted to buy etc etc. Again I was told nothing suggested the card had been used. I confirmed the cancellation on the card. So far so good.

Two days later I had a call from a guy with a non Britiah accent. Asked me if I was 'Mr Colly' I confirmed I was, then he said he was from xyz Bank (my bank) and he understood I had been having a problem with my credit card.
I thought to myself......'Funny'. Like you do, and immediately suspected a scam. Especially because in my banks letters, emails, and any contact at all they ALWAYS stress.......'We will never call you directly and if we do we will ask you to call the banks official number and there will be a message waiting for you'. I told the caller I would call the bank directly and he said yes ok and hung up.
I called my bank told them I had a message waiting.........'err ? No, nothing on the system'
She put me through the the card department and lo and behold the call was genuine.
I went off on one and made a complaint which was kind of pointless because while I got some kind of apology I really have no idea why, going against all they tell me, I got the call in the first place.

It's something and nothing, but if banks can not even keep to their own security protocols what chance have we got?

 

[markemark]

Always call from a different phone as well if you can. Prevents the ones where the line stays open and you haven’t really dialled your bank.

Don’t need to on mobiles and they can’t keep it open and I think the phone suppliers stopped it being an issue on landlines many years ago.

 

[Dave7]

I think the phone suppliers stopped it being an issue on landlines many years ago.

I didnt know that. Not saying you are wrong I am just not aware of that improvement.

 

[markemark]

I didnt know that. Not saying you are wrong I am just not aware of that improvement.

For sure mobiles never had that issue. I believe uk landlines fixed it some years ago. Outside uk don’t know.

 

[presta]

the move to VOIP will all but eradicate that possibility

Either that, or open up a whole new world of opportunity for the hackers....

It's something and nothing, but if banks can not even keep to their own security protocols what chance have we got?

During lockdown, Allied Irish Bank operated a system whereby you called them and left your phone number on an ansafone, then an employee working from home called you back and asked for your password....

When I thought I might have been scammed I called Lloyds one Sunday evening and asked them to freeze my bank account until I could check on Monday morning. Once I'd confirmed everything was OK, I called the bank back to ask them to unlock my account, and they said "Oh, it's OK, it's already done".
I hadn't spoken to them since I asked them to freeze it, so they obviously hadn't taken any notice of what I said.

We're told not to click links in emails you don't recognise, but most businesses send emails from umpteen different addresses. National Savings use two different addresses, one of which is offshore.

 

[Profpointy]

My boss had been working away and got a call in his hotel room. The person asked if he still had his credit cards as some dodgy transactions had appeared. Sure enough, they had gone, so they guy said don't worry, we'll cancel the card and send out a new one. He put the phone down, then though "hang on, how does the bank know I'm in this room in the hotel?" Sure enough the thief, presumably an inside job at the hotel, had swiped the card then made the call so they'd get an extra couple of days to max out the card. He was a very smart guy, and to a degree at least, as IT designers we very much have to think of this sort of issue, but not sure I would have twigged as quickly

 

[Pat "5mph"]

In the afternoon, I received an email saying my latest statement is available for viewing - I could click the link on the phone to get an email.

Imo that alone is suspicious, you normally get a text or an email asking you to access your banking app in order to read a communication from the bank.

 

[mistyoptic]

I had a WhatsApp message about my upcoming holiday with booking.com, quoting the correct dates and asking me to confirm the booking details and “no money will be taken at this time but you may notice a temporary hold in funds”.

Fine except I’d already paid for that booking. Duly reported

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Always call from a different phone as well if you can. Prevents the ones where the line stays open and you haven’t really dialled your bank.

That was a problem with landlines for ages but they are SUPPOSED to have fixed it

if in doubt and you cannot use another phone - phone someone else where you can get an answer and know it is not being hung onto

 

[DaveReading]

Mind you banks do not exactly help themselves.

I had trouble using my credit card, on one particular website the card would simply not go through. I tried my debit card and again it was refused. I went to another company and used my credit card to buy what I wanted and the card worked fine.
Thinking it was perhaps a scam website just collecting card numbers and security numbers, I called the bank. Told them what had happened and cancelled my cards. We went through recent transactions and nothing I didnt recognised came up, and even though it was only an hour or so since my cards were declined, I put a stop on both cards just in case. I was transferred to the card department where I had to go the entire story again, give details on what I wanted to buy etc etc. Again I was told nothing suggested the card had been used. I confirmed the cancellation on the card. So far so good.

Two days later I had a call from a guy with a non Britiah accent. Asked me if I was 'Mr Colly' I confirmed I was, then he said he was from xyz Bank (my bank) and he understood I had been having a problem with my credit card.
I thought to myself......'Funny'. Like you do, and immediately suspected a scam. Especially because in my banks letters, emails, and any contact at all they ALWAYS stress.......'We will never call you directly and if we do we will ask you to call the banks official number and there will be a message waiting for you'. I told the caller I would call the bank directly and he said yes ok and hung up.
I called my bank told them I had a message waiting.........'err ? No, nothing on the system'
She put me through the the card department and lo and behold the call was genuine.
I went off on one and made a complaint which was kind of pointless because while I got some kind of apology I really have no idea why, going against all they tell me, I got the call in the first place.

It's something and nothing, but if banks can not even keep to their own security protocols what chance have we got?

'We will never call you directly and if we do ...' sounds like they have no policy at all.