Be aware of online and phone scams

Anyone who has been the victim of an online or telephone scam will tell you that the situation can become more complex than they ever imagined.

Giving up personal information to a stranger in the street is something that many of us would never do, because we can assess the situation relative to the manner in which the person presents themselves with our own eyes, and we can better read their body language and look at the quality of their goods or information they provide, before making a decision.

We’re often suspicious of the seller in the street and reluctant to pass over our personal details to them.

With online and telephone scams the dangers are not always obvious. Often the person on the other end of the phone or computer screen appears to already know personal information about you, which makes you, wrongly, relax a little.

They may provide apparently understandable reasons for asking you to provide them with more personal information or bank account details or passwords.

In doing so, it can lead to losing a great deal of your money and future issues around your credit rating.

An online or telephone scammer has a computer screen in front of them and as soon as they have the information they need, even whilst still conversing with you, they can be accessing your account or transferring funds.

Locally, I have read many crime reports where people have lost their life savings as a result of one interaction with a fraudster. Those who carry out these crimes have no regard whatsoever for the consequences of their victims and the impact on the lives they affect and use the best technology to try to protect their identity and to move the gains into various bank accounts to make it difficult for the banks and law enforcement to get the money back.

They often target the most vulnerable in our society. Financial institutions and law enforcement spend large sums of money each year trying to make it difficult for these criminals and trying to detect who is responsible, but often the greatest risk to the security of the system is the customer and we must help by doing our part to make it difficult for them.

Here are some pieces of advice which may help you avoid becoming the victim of such a scam: Never disclose security details, such as your PIN or full banking password. A genuine bank or organisation will never ask you for these in an email, on the phone or in writing.

Unless you’re 100 per cent sure who you’re talking to, don’t disclose any personal or financial details whatsoever.

If you’ve taken all these steps and still feel uncomfortable or unsure about what you’re being asked, never hesitate to contact your bank or financial service provider on a number you trust, such as the one listed on their website or on the back of your payment card.