Don’t fall for cold call crooks

With scams on the rise during Covid-19 pandemic, here’s what to do if you’re unsure

Q I RECEIVED a text message from Lloyds Bank yesterday.

It read: “Your new standing order was successfully set up on your personal account. If this was not you, please visit https://lloyds.mobilesecuresignin2.com”.

I don’t have, and have never had, an account with Lloyds, personal or otherwise. What can I do about this, it looks like a scam of some sort?

A AS YOU say, this text message is obviously a scam and what the scammers want you to do is click the link on the text because it wasn’t you who set the standing order up. I spoke to retail fraud director at Lloyds Bank, Paul Davis, who told me: “Lack of contact with others has caused nearly a quarter of people to let down their guard against scams during the pandemic. “New research commissioned by Lloyds Bank surveyed over 2000 UK adults and found that an estimated 3.6million people have been scammed since the pandemic started. “Almost a third of the people we surveyed gave out their personal details over the phone to someone they did not know and 43 per cent of people think it’s OK to give personal information out online but not over the phone or in person. Unfortunately, more than 20 per cent also told us that they can’t tell the difference between a scam call and one from a genuine organisation.”

It appears scammers are putting lots of energy into catching people with their guard down and they’re ready to disappear as soon as they’ve got their hands on victims’ cash.

Davis detailed to me there are things we can all do to make sure we keep our money as safe as possible.

He said: “It’s important for people to remember that your bank will never contact you out of the blue and ask you to move money from your account – if you’re asked to do this, it’s definitely a scam. If a text or a caller is trying to rush you into making a payment by saying your account is at risk or offering a limited time investment, this should be an immediate red flag to stop before handing over any money.

“Fraudsters are always inventing convincing stories and can easily pretend to be someone else and even make their number look like they are calling from your bank or another company.

“If you’re unsure, always hang up. A genuine company will never have any problem with calling back later using a known number such as the one on their website. If you receive an unexpected text message

claiming to be from your bank saying your account is at risk or asking to click on a link, the safest thing to do is not reply.”

If you are not expecting a text or email message, then it could be a scam. A genuine text or email will be written in a reasonable and calm way. Scams may use warning messages, threats of fraud or problems with your account.

If you get a message that seems odd, Davis has really useful advice.

He said: “A Lloyds Bank text will include part of your name, account number or post code. Scam texts and emails often look odd, with a messy layout and spelling mistakes.

Even if you think you know the sender, don’t reply to a text or email message if it seems odd. Do not open any links or attachments.

“Scam texts and emails can put a virus on your phone or computer.

If you’re not sure, phone the company on a number you trust or visit their website by typing their web address directly into the address bar at the top of your screen.”

Here are some general tips to help you keep your money safe:

Keep your bank details, password and PIN private

Make sure your browser and operating systems are up to date.

And use an anti-virus to protect your devices.

Be careful with emails that you didn’t expect to get, even if you think you know the sender. Don’t click on any links or attachments unless you’re sure they’re safe.

Don’t think an unexpected call is genuine, even if the number looks real. Call back on a trusted number but don’t use one the caller gives you.

Never move your money to a “safe”, “holding” or “secure” account.

Don’t download something unless you know it’s safe. And don’t give remote access – control of your device – to anyone unless you called them for help.