Lloyds Bank warns of ‘fraudster calls’ as scammers pretend to be HMRC | Personal Finance | Finance
Customers who receive suspect calls from individuals claiming to be from Lloyds bank or even HMRC are advised to take protective measures. The high street bank has shared the red flags customers should look for in a phone call and when they may not be able to refund money lost to fraud.
Last year, the BBC reported that £4million were lost to fraudsters every day in the UK.
Customers who receive suspect calls from individuals claiming to be from Lloyds Bank or even HMRC are advised to take protective measures.
Lloyds Bank has cautioned against “a common type of scam” that “can happen to anyone”.
Scam calls, also known as vishing, impersonate a reputable or well-known individual or organisation and can target anyone with a phone.
Vishing scams can sometimes appear incredibly genuine and scammers can even copy the telephone numbers of the companies or people they are impersonating.
Additionally, the quick responses that a phone call requires can often make victims ignore red flags as they are focused on providing the right answers.
Lloyds noted that some of these vishing calls will be people claiming to be employees or representatives of the bank or even the HMRC, police or other reputable organisations.
However, customers should not feel flustered when receiving a phone call, as Lloyds revealed some “tell-tale signs” to look for.
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They noted on their website that the most common thing fraudsters aim to do with vishing scams is to get victims to move money from their account to another.
Lloyds have wanted that only a fraudster will require customers to move money between different accounts.
They advised: “If you get a call like this, hang up.”
Additionally, dialling 159 will give customers a safe way to contact their bank if they believe they have been contacted by a scammer.
This could include rushing them to make a decision, and genuine callers from the likes of Lloyds Bank will usually not mind if people take their time.
Fraudsters will also commonly tell victims to not tell people about the call, which should be a big red flag to customers.
Even the most vigilant and attentive of customers can fall victim to convincing scams, but Lloyds shared that so long as victims have done everything in their power to keep their details and devices safe they will be refunded for any losses.
However, customers who ignore the warnings or make a payment against the advice of Lloyds Bank may not be able to receive a refund.
