Fraud is a worldwide and well-run modern industry
The public has been pushed, bribed and bullied into conducting its banking online. The banks told us how convenient and fast it would all be, but they probably didn’t expect to be exposing us to the dangers that have arisen in the past 10 years. And there are many dangers. There are few things more sickening and frightening than money being drained from your bank account by someone you’ve never seen or heard of.
They might not even be in this country.
But they have invaded you. They have often done extensive research on you. They know all your details, they know where you live, they know where you bank, they know secrets about your life. Our story on the left shows just how easily this can be done.
Astonishingly, 31% of Scottish adults have already been a victim of fraud – and the average amount stolen is £425.44.
It is horrible, and it is embarrassing – and embarrassment is one of the big problems.
Around 27% of fraud cases in Scotland have gone unreported to banks, and 70% weren’t reported to the police.
This is because 20% of victims reported feeling stupid, 22% felt victimised, 20% felt embarrassed and 35% felt angry at themselves.
It is wrong to think this way. We have to fight back.
Raw Deal hopes that these pages will act as a guide to avoiding online fraud.
Barclays has announced it is to be the first UK high street bank to introduce an online fraud intervention service to its online banking system.
Customers will now be asked three fraud prevention questions immediately after making what may look like a suspicious and out of character online payment.
If the customer has any doubts about the payment after answering the questions, they are asked to call Barclays immediately using a number which will be printed on the back of their bank card. This will help. Barclays Bank also published their three key points to help the UK fight back against fraudsters:
Never share your PIN or password with anyone (even if they are claiming to be from your bank).
Do not click on any links or open any attachments or emails from people you are unsure about or don’t recognise.
Avoid letting anyone you don’t know have access to your computer.
We should also all be aware of exactly what is happening here.
This isn’t a bit of mischief done by teenage boys in bedrooms.
Julie Clegg, former detective and intelligence expert on Channel 4’s TV Show Hunted has analysed the extent of the problem. She says: “The scale of fraud is phenomenal. I see it every day, and what’s interesting is the common misconception around who is behind it.
“Fraud is a multimillion pound global industry and many of these crimes are carefully planned out and executed by organisations that could be compared in structure and strategy to a multinational corporation.
“They are technical masters, they have a business plan, they analyse their statistics, they operate in a strategic way, and they hire the best and brightest hackers they can find.”
They might be in Eastern Europe or South East Asia, but they might be in the UK’s cities. They might come on the phone and speak to you in an accent local to you.
Ashok Vaswani, CEO of Barclays UK said: “The average British person was targeted 12 times over the last 12 months. Never has it been more vital to fight back against the fraudsters and increase the public’s resilience to cyber-attacks.”
We have to help ourselves, though.
Cut out and keep the guide on the left of these pages.
Every time the phone rings or an email pops in, be aware that you might be speaking to a liar who is after your money.