People have reported being conned by a caller pretending to be from their bank after receiving a text purporting to be from Royal Mail that asked for their bank details.
Claire had £7,762 stolen from her after being taken in by a fraudulent text pretending to be from Royal Mail.
The text urges shoppers to follow a link to a website that looks
very similar to the Royal Mail’s and asks them to enter personal and
financial details, putting them at risk of money being stolen or their
accounts being hacked.
Full details of the scam has been posted here.
What to do if you are not sure if a call is genuine
Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and
cybercrime, warned that “criminals are experts are impersonating
organisations that we know and trust”.
A spokesperson said: “It’s
important to remember if you’re contacted out the blue by someone
purporting to be from a well-known organisation, asking for your
personal or financial details, that this could be a scam.”
The organisation advises:
- Hang up immediately as this could protect you and your money.
- If you are suspicious of any communication you receive, contact the organisation in question directly through a phone number you’ve used before to check if the communication you’ve received is genuine.
- If you need to contact the organisation to check the call was legitimate, wait five minutes; fraudsters may stay on the line after you hang up. Alternatively, use a different line altogether to contact your bank.
- You should also take care not to click on any links in unexpected emails or text messages as these could lead you to malicious websites after your personal and financial details.
- If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
- Action Fraud will refer all fraud crime cases to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). The NFIB is run by the City of London Police (which operates nationally).
For expert advice on how to get your money back if you’ve been scammed click here.
