Just got scammed out of almost 1k

[BonneMamanAbricot]

Please be so careful of phone calls from your bank. Always call them back, as caller ID can be faked. My actual bank said they had never seen this scam. They duplicated everything, all the spiels, the robot connecting voice, the hold music.

Second month of being paid after 5 months of no income. Back to nothing again. FFS.

Sorry to be ignorant but can someone explain how this works please? I was under the impression that the account number and sort code only allowed you to pay money IN or set up a direct debit (which takes time and is covered by the direct debit guarantee) so how can it be used to drain a bank account almost instantly?

I was thinking maybe they could try and log into someone’s online banking and then make a bank transfer (hence the OTP) but surely that requires extra layers of information such as customer number, password etc.

OP, I’m so sorry you got scammed; thank you for raising awareness though, I had no idea this was even possible.

THIS.

Also these paperless / person-less banking systems not only are wide open to theft they make already vulnerable people even more vulnerable (e.g. elderly people). Excluding them from taking control in ways they know how to, exposing them to risks they can't cope with. I have elderly relatives, it's almost a full time job trying to deal with the scammers.

Sadly I suspect many elderly people these days get more calls from scammers than from relatives and the banks and authorities seem happy to throw these people under the bus.

You SHOULD and MUST get your money back OP. This isn't on you. You must feel awful but please get angry. It's not ok, and it's the bank's fault. Absolutely ridiculous and a dereliction of their responsibility to you as a customer that they didn't tell you the code was for a payment.

So sorry you have gone through this. Your bank should really investigate it properly and if you aren’t happy with the outcome, you can raise it to the ombudsman too. Keeping everything crossed you can get your money back

Too late In your instance OP but Please heed warning. A bank would never under any circumstances phone up their Customers and most certainly they would not ask you to move money. Anyone phones saying they’re from your Bank simply put the phone down

Yes 2 service users I work with had their card picked up by a courier! Awful

That's what their plan was .
Luckily DH twigged they were not disconnecting the call and when he called back , same man "Hello this is xyz Bank" you think you have called them and they get all the details they need .

There were things the first caller said that rang alarm bells .

When he did phone the bank -the real bank- he used another phone . We still had landline back then and mobile .

Wow yes you're absolutely right - the banks are actually removing people's agency by forcing them to use such light touch systems - and then blaming those same people when they have their money stolen. Outrageous, really.

Exact same thing happened to my sister this week, kindly it's nothing new at all, we all chuckled at her for falling for it (with love, she wasn't offended).

Her bank gave her the money back instantly, it's nothing to do with if they money is still in their account or not, it's fraud that the bank needs to reimburse.

There was a time when I felt quite confident that scammers might be able to trick my nan, but I'd spot it a mile off. That simply isn't true any more. They're clever.

It makes you wonder how many elderly people are losing hundreds of thousands to this sort of theft and nothing is done. Would the bank have stepped in if OP hadn't realised? They don't seem to care much, do they?

They're clever alright. In op's case it was really complex

But sometimes they don't even need to be all that clever. The parking scam I got done over by, it was a case of if you want to park, you have to scan a QR code. A low amount of effort for a thief to take advantage of this, with hindsight.

Similar happened to my elderly neighbour in New Zealand recently. They knew what sites she hadn't used before. They even had a second person impersonate a bank manager when she showed suspicion. Luckily she didn't fall for it. It shook her up though.

I do hope you can get your money back OP.

who do you bank with?! I had a similar scam attempted, I got spooked while they were on phone & called hsbc from another phone . muted the scammer while I told hsbc , they told me hang up immediately it’s a scam. I had a very very lucky escape . They were very convincing and the caller ID was HSBC…

The banks can refuse depending on how much information you give the scammers here in New Zealand. Just remember to never give your pin number out. Even giving it to a partner or adult child can void your contract.

We're always being told that banks don't call you, that they'll write to you regarding your account.

I had a call from my bank(?) a while ago. I can't recall what for now. I told them that i didn't want to discuss anything on the phone.They said fine and hung up.

It's bloody awful what's happened, OP. I really hope your bank help you out and the scammed rot in hell..

Or course banks call customers. I don't know where this idea comes from that they don't.

Unfortunately as OP gave out her account number the bank is probably in the right. If the scammer had known her name and account number it would be more likely to be a security breach on the banks side and OP would be entitled to a refund.

i never answer the phone if I don’t have number on friends list ..you can also go on a site called WHO CALLED ME to see if the number has been listed as scam etc …

Yes. That's why they quite often target people who are traveling overseas or have a transaction from a hospital cafe. They can hack into your account for information like this.
Sorry this happened to you OP. Scammers are pond scum the way they prey on people..

My son got a genuine call from his bank about a year ago to say his atm card had been skimmed. He lost all his savings but the bank reimbursed him. I would always advise to call the bank on their official number though or go into a branch if possible. The caller will understand if genuine.

Banks tell you that they will never call you. I don't see how this can happen.

I get it might have sounded legit but their spiel had so many red flags a bank would never do.
I get you were doing enough at the time and got complacent but this still as has been written in the post, it reads as a classic, obvious scam.
They just got you at the wrong time.
Sorry this happened.. Never ever give info they haven't given you.. They should already know who you are and your account number etc before they call. They may identify you (which is things like name, DOB, address etc) but they already have your account details otherwise how would they have known to call you about what's happened on your account??

I used to get scam calls asking for Mrs Smith for example when told I wasn't Mrs Smith they'd say oh well that was my previous call who have I got here so I can find your record.. Umm no if you called me you'd know who I was and I'm not Mrs Smith so you have the wrong person.. Click.

I have had a call about genuine fraud but they have always known plenty of info.. They don't get you to tell them your account number and access code for example to identify you. This was an obvious scam I just think they got the OP at the wrong time when they were distracted.

Banks absolutely do call customers. Both my husband and I have been legitimately alerted to fraud by fraud teams over the phone. Wish people would stop repeating that the bank never call you- this isnt true.

For banks that have a policy to never call customers, I'm curious how they actually alert peopld to fraud?

We got scammed. The bank did nothing. We took it to the ombudsman. We got our money back.