Scammers’ eight calls every second

TELEPHONE scammers target victims at a rate equivalent to eight calls every second, according to experts.

Fraudsters pose as police officers or bank workers to con the vulnerable – particularly the elderly – out of huge sums totalling an estimated £24million a year.

A survey found almost one in five Britons had received a scam call in the last 12 months, during which someone was impersonating a genuine organisation.

The Money Advice Service (MAS), which carried out the study involving 2,000 adults, estimated that one in 14 – equivalent to 3.5million Britons – had fallen victim to telephone fraud since 2010. One frequently reported scam involved spinning the victim a story about how their bank account or credit card had been targeted by thieves.

The fraudster invites their target to call the police or their bank to check, but does not put the phone down at the end of the conversation, leaving the line open.

The victim then calls who they believe is their bank or the police, but ends up speaking to another member of the criminal gang who ‘confirms’ the lies. Fraudsters then try to dupe victims into transferring money directly into their accounts, or handing over bank cards, personal information and PINs over the phone or to couriers.

MAS – which estimates that eight scam calls are made every second on average – was set up by the Government to offer independent money advice.

Its survey also found more than a third of respondents had received a suspicious automated call over the last 12 months.

One in four said they received a call telling them they had won a competition that they had not entered, while one in 20 answered a call from someone who asked them to transfer money from their account to another one for ‘security purposes’. MAS said fraudsters target some of the most vulnerable members of society – particularly the elderly and those living alone – with the over-55s most likely to fall for a scam.

Criminals often put on regional accents such as Scottish, Welsh or Geordie as these are considered trustworthy, experts said. Others adopt Indian accents, as many customers expect financial firms’ call centres to be overseas.

Nick Hill, of MAS, said: ‘These criminals are clever and creative, using the latest technology ... They can hijack a bank’s telephone number as well as use scripts and systems that banks are likely to use, meaning it’s harder than ever to identify a scam.’