Criminals are conning people with scam text messages which claim to be from the victim’s bank and aim to steal personal or financial information, consumer group Financial Fraud Action UK has warned.
The text messages say there has been a fraud on the recipient’s account or that account details need to be updated, according to the Financial Fraud Bureau, FFA UK’s intelligence unit.
They encourage people to urgently call a number or visit a website, but these are in fact controlled by the fraudster, enabling them to steal security details which can be used to access the victim’s bank account.
To make the texts seem authentic, fraudsters use software which alters the sender ID on a message so that it arrives under the name of a bank. This can make the scam text appear within an existing message thread on the recipient’s phone between them and their “bank”.
FFFA UK is responsible for leading the fight against fraud in the UK payments industry. Its membership includes banks; credit, debit and charge card issuers; and card payment acquirers. Its director, Katy Worobec, said: “These text messages can look very authentic, so it’s important to be alert. Always be wary if you receive a message out of the blue asking you for any personal or financial details. Remember, fraudsters are after your security details – don’t reveal anything unless you are absolutely sure who you are dealing with.”
FFA UK is advising consumers who are asked to call a number in a text message to call their bank on a number they trust – such as the one on the back of a card.
It says that a bank will never phone customers to ask for a four-digit pin or online password, even by tapping them into the telephone keypad, or ask them to update personal details by following a link in a text message.
