I’m tech savvy but hackers stung me
AS A fairly savvy retired police officer and chairman of the local golf club, I happily used my iPad every day to send emails, write reports, check the weather, search the internet and do online banking. That was until my account was hacked. The scammers sent this message to more than 100 people and organisations I’ve been in contact with over the years: ‘Morning, I need to ask you for a favour. I am not on the phone, are you online?’ Some had firewalls that declined the message automatically, many identified it as a scam and deleted it, a few contacted the golf club to check, but a large number kindly replied asking how they could help. The scammers redirected these replies to another email account with just one letter different to mine. They then requested that these people buy £200 of vouchers on behalf of a sick child, explaining I did not have access to funds. All barring one identified this as a scam and deleted the email. I was quickly aware I had been hacked and changed my passwords. A helpful computer expert at my local branch of PC Express took 90 minutes to debug my email account, but it took me two days to get everything back to normal. The scam message went to two recently deceased friends and an old colleague with dementia whose wife was upset that she didn’t know how she could help me. The kind gentleman who bought the vouchers was understandably upset. It feels as if we are under constant attack from the hackers. Almost daily I receive texts about dubious activity on accounts I do not hold, charges for parcels that can’t be delivered and fake HMRC refunds. On my landline, I have been called about making a claim for an accident that was not my fault and I have received emails from people abroad needing money to release greater funds from which I would benefit. I felt this was comical until my account was hacked and my world turned upside down. My advice is to assume any unusual email is a scam until proved otherwise, change your passwords regularly and stay on guard.
DAVID NICCOL, Stanmore, Middlesex.
IF BANKS are spending hundreds of millions to protect customers and their brands from scammers (Mail), why are they closing branches and forcing customers to bank online? They would be better off spending this money on giving customers the service they want and re-opening bank branches. BARRY DAVIES, Chorley, Lancs.