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Fraudsters are using increasingly clever tricks to try to con you out of your cash, so it’s essential to protect yourself

Being the victim of fraud can be financially crippling, but there is finally some good news for those who have been scammed.

The Financial Ombudsman said recently that banks must not automatically blame customers who have been conned.

Caroline Wayman, Chief Ombudsman and Chief Executive of the Financial Ombudsman Service, said it is ‘not fair to automatically call a customer grossly negligent simply because they’ve fallen for a scam’.

Welcome news indeed, but how can you avoid falling victim in the first place? Here are some things to watch out for.

Don’t be fooled

Beware text messages. In one scam, victims are sent a text message claiming to be from their bank telling them there has been

suspicious activity on their account. The texts even appear in the same thread as genuine messages from your bank. It’s vital to ignore any instructions in the message. Instead, phone your bank using the number on the back of your bank card.

Be suspicious

In another scam, con artists phone a potential victim, pretending to be from their bank, telling them there has been an attempted fraud on their account. They are told to move money to a ‘safe’ account, which in fact belongs to the fraudster.

Stay safe

Use strong passwords on accounts and never use anything that can be found on social media. Check statements and phone your bank if you’re suspicious. For more tips, visit actionfraud.police.uk.