Former detective Peter Barron, from Winchmore Hill, offers advice on how to avoid telephone fraud
We all place far too much trust in our mobile phones these days.
When a known contact appears on your phone screen you (understandably) assume that it must be that person or organisation who is ringing you. Unfortunately, fraudsters have ready access to software to allow them to fake any phone number to convince a victim they can trust who they are talking to.
Let’s run through an example. Your mobile phone rings and the number on the screen identifies the caller as your bank (if you have the number saved).
“Hello Mrs Evans, this is Roger Jenkins from the fraud department at your bank. There is no need to panic, however we have discovered that your bank account number 12345678 has been hacked by fraudsters. They have not withdrawn any money yet, however, we need to act quickly to protect your cash.”
If Mrs Evans queries the authenticity of the call, she is advised to look at the telephone number on the back of her bank card and compare it to that displayed on her phone. They are the same. If she is still not convinced, she will be advised to hang up and ring the number on the back of the card.
However, the fraudster actually stays on the line (and in some cases even plays a recorded dial tone down the line so the caller thinks she is making a fresh call). Mr Jenkins (the fraudster) then answers the new call as “Roger Jenkins, fraud department, how can I help you?”
Mrs Evans apologises for not trusting him but explains that she thought it better to be safe than sorry. Mr Jenkins compliments her on her vigilance, but repeats that they need to move fast to save her money from being stolen. By this time, Mrs Evans is totally convinced she is genuinely speaking to someone from her bank and, if anything, feels slightly embarrassed for not trusting him immediately.
Mr Jenkins explains that as her bank account has been hacked, she needs to move everything from that account into a secure holding account in the same bank. Once the fraudster has been arrested, they will immediately transfer it back to her. He gives her the details of the “holding account” and, if she has access to online banking, he offers to remain on the line until the transfer is complete.
Once the transfer of all the cash has been made, he advises that if the money has not been returned to her account within seven days, she is to call him back. A week later, the money has not been returned, so she rings the number on the back of her card. This time she gets through to a genuine bank employee, but they have never heard of Roger Jenkins. Her account is empty and the account to which it was transferred is empty too. The bank refuses to compensate Mrs Evans as she made the transfer herself – irrespective of the fact that was because someone had impersonated one of her own bank’s staff using their official telephone number.
What can you do to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of this type of fraud? If you are called by someone who says they are from your bank, simply do not believe them. Take their name and tell them you will ring the bank back from a different phone – or better still, go into your local branch and make enquiries there.
Your bank will never ring you to discuss such matters. To avoid being called by fraudsters faking the bank’s official number, save the number of the back of your card, then block it! This will ensure fraudsters impersonating your bank cannot call you, but you can still call your own bank if you need to.
Report fraud or find more advice about avoiding fraud via Action Fraud:
Call 0300 123 2040
Visit actionfraud.police.uk
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