Fraudsters are using a cruel new scam to exploit trust between family members and close friends – and rob them of tens of thousands of pounds.
Santander, HSBC, Barclays and NatWest all confirm that they have seen cases of the new bank fraud and are warning customers to be on their guard.
The scam starts when a fraudster contacts their victim – usually by phone, although it can also be by text message, email or via social media.
Lurking in the shadows: The money disappears and the fraudster cannot be contacted – or even traced – again
The scammer pretends they are getting in touch from the victim’s bank, the police, National Crime Agency or other official body. Then the conman falsely warns their victim that their bank account has been compromised and that it is now dangerous to use their own name and personal details to set up a new account. They tell them that a ‘safe’ account will have to be set up in a different name.
The victim dutifully moves their money to a family or trusted friend’s account. But after a few days, the fraudster then gets back in touch with the victim and informs them that a new bank account has been set up on their behalf and it is safe for their trusted loved one to transfer the money into it.
Therefore if the victim’s loved one receives a notification from their own bank that the new account details given do not match up with the name of the victim, they are unfazed and agree to authorise the payment.
Sadly, the safe account…
