Police Scotland have issued the following advice to anyone who is suspicious about a phone call from their “bank”?
Bogus callers can make contact with you by phone and claim to be from your bank or other trusted organisation.
A fraudster may advise you that there has been suspicious activity on your bank account and request you transfer all of your money into a ‘safe account’. They may instruct you to hang up the phone and call a number provided by them. However, the fraudster will keep the line open, pretend to be a bank official and provide you with details of the ‘safe account’ and induce you to carry out the transfer of money in their account. Fraudsters are cunning, creative and often very convincing.
However, your bank will never:
• Phone and ask you for your PIN or full banking password (even by tapping it into the phone keypad)
• Request you to transfer money to another account
• Ask you to withdraw money to hand over to them for safe-keeping
• Send a courier to your home to collect your money, bank cards, PIN or cheque book.
Remember:
• If requested to provide personal or financial information, take time to think about it and remain calm
• If in doubt, just hang up and never give out personal or financial information if you are unsure who you are dealing with
• Fraudsters can make telephone numbers used to call you seem genuine, so don’t rely on this as verification
• Call 101 to report any suspicious activity. If you feel scared or threatened call 999 and ask for the police.
Check our website for more information, tips and advice from us and our partners: http://ow.ly/2eyD50BzY8i
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
