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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think he shouldn't have fallen for this?!

54 replies

BloodyScammers · 08/10/2021 16:15

DH was scammed recently. Called me at work to say he had a call from credit card company to say attempts made on card. Told him I had heard of scammers using this to con you to give info so he should call card company. He did, using online number, and they said attempts made but nothing went through.

He then gets a call from 'same company' saying there were further attempts. The number showing on his phone matches the number of the company he called earlier so he trusts them.

They then say that another card (main bank credit card) involved and attempts made on that card too and in order to trace the scammers he should authorise the attempted purchases to close off the process in order to allow the trace.

Now, at this point would you not be saying 'hold up'?!!

DH goes ahead and authorises the payments via his app and the penny drops when the caller disappears.

Soooo, DH has spent the past 2 days trying to sort the mess out - cancelled cards, online banking, reported to police, given statement.
Two transactions have gone through so I think we've lost about £12k so far and another one pending although I don't see how that could still go through given the report of fraud.

I am so fed up of the whole thing and wonder if I am being unreasonable? Perhaps I just have a very high level of suspicion but I think I would have gone into reverse gear the moment they mentioned authorising the payment. I would have at least hung up and tried calling the card company to make sure it was legit rather than believe the caller.

OP posts:

ThreeLittleDots · 08/10/2021 16:19

YANBU and he's been completely irresponsible for not thinking twice.

MrsFin · 08/10/2021 16:23

YABU. People get scammed all the time. The scammers are very plausible.
DSis, the most cautious person you'll ever meet, who is constantly taking DM to be careful, got scammed herself the other day, and was locked out of her own bank account when the scammers changed her password.
Be kind to DH. If he's like my sister he's probably feeling very embarrassed.

Original poster

BloodyScammers · 08/10/2021 16:30

I understand that people get scammed all the time but I would think that the prevalence of fraud makes people very cautious!

Would you authorise thousands of pounds on the back of a call from someone purporting to be your bank or credit card company without double and triple checking the call was genuine?

OP posts:

ThreeLittleDots · 08/10/2021 16:35

Would you authorise thousands of pounds on the back of a call from someone purporting to be your bank or credit card company without double and triple checking the call was genuine

No! I don't think most people would either unless they are extremely out of touch, reckless or thoughtless.

I think it's ok for you to be frustrated with him.

GermioneHranger · 08/10/2021 16:36

Have you checked that you're covered under the banks fraud policy? If he authorised the transactions, they may not refund potentially.

My rule is always hang up, then call the number on your bank card - they can easily put you through to the fraud department! (However I have no idea OP why he thought the fraud department would want him to authorise the transactions, it sounds like he potentially got too caught up in the scam to think rationally!)

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 08/10/2021 16:36

Would you authorise thousands of pounds on the back of a call from someone purporting to be your bank or credit card company without double and triple checking the call was genuine?

If the caller ID on my phone matched the number I'd called myself after getting it off the official bank website then I think I would have probably fallen for it

ThreeLittleDots · 08/10/2021 16:37

If the caller ID on my phone matched the number I'd called myself after getting it off the official bank website then I think I would have probably fallen for it

But we all know caller ID is easily faked... don't we??!!

MrsFin · 08/10/2021 16:39

Would you authorise thousands of pounds on the back of a call from someone purporting to be your bank or credit card company without double and triple checking the call was genuine?

I have no idea. Possibly. An awful lot of people do.

TheQueef · 08/10/2021 16:40

He was conned.
By professionals by the sound of it.
Some people are more susceptible than others.
Unless you really think he did it deliberately I think YABU.
He didn't do this the scammers did.

WithMyEncyclopedia · 08/10/2021 16:41

@ThreeLittleDots

If the caller ID on my phone matched the number I'd called myself after getting it off the official bank website then I think I would have probably fallen for it

But we all know caller ID is easily faked... don't we??!!

That's what I thought! One of the least sophisticated ways of scamming, isn't it?

I know they are convincing but if you haven't called them directly using the proper number you should always expect the possibility that it's not your bank.

Going on to ask to authorise payments would've confirmed for me that it's a scam.

ShowMeTheSugar · 08/10/2021 16:44

I don't blame you for being frustrated but can see how he fell for it, lots of people don't know how easy it is to mask a phone number.

Truly hope you manage to rake back the money.

AFuturisticalSound · 08/10/2021 16:45

@sparepantsandtoothbrush

Would you authorise thousands of pounds on the back of a call from someone purporting to be your bank or credit card company without double and triple checking the call was genuine?

If the caller ID on my phone matched the number I'd called myself after getting it off the official bank website then I think I would have probably fallen for it

Really? I sometimes wonder why scammer persist with their clearly pretty obviously fake attempts to steal money and how people fall for them when number spoofing is so widely reported on

In fact I heard yesterday about fantastic new service where you dial 159 when you get one of these calls and it connects you to your bank so they can tell you not to be do daft . Well not really, I'm sure they tell you that of course it's a scam in a reassuring manner

girlmom21 · 08/10/2021 16:47

@BloodyScammers

I understand that people get scammed all the time but I would think that the prevalence of fraud makes people very cautious!

Would you authorise thousands of pounds on the back of a call from someone purporting to be your bank or credit card company without double and triple checking the call was genuine?

To be fair, he was quite naive about the situation in the first place or he wouldn't have called you.

I can see how he got caught out if they called back from the same number.
Most of us are quite savvy to these things these days but it's not an unusual mistake by any stretch.

Illstartexercisingtomorrow · 08/10/2021 16:48

I didn’t know caller ID could be faked. And I’m and intelligent, well read person. That would have thrown me off. But doubt I would have authorised it all either.

MadeOfStarStuff · 08/10/2021 16:49

YANBU

Being asked to authorise the fraudulent transactions should’ve rung alarm bells! Surely the bank would be able to clear those themselves and approving them would, you know, actually approve them so they went through

Original poster

BloodyScammers · 08/10/2021 16:51

@ThreeLittleDots

If the caller ID on my phone matched the number I'd called myself after getting it off the official bank website then I think I would have probably fallen for it

But we all know caller ID is easily faked... don't we??!!

I didn't know that caller ID is easily faked but I do know that there are some clever buggers out there so I would not have trusted anyone calling me.

@WithMyEncyclopedia - "Going on to ask to authorise payments would've confirmed for me that it's a scam"

That's my point! It's not as if not authorising the payment was going to assist fraud. He should have hung up and at least thought about it or called the bank.

He does feel quite stupid and although I feel sorry for the stress it's caused him I can't help agreeing that he has been stupid. Arghhhh!

I'm thinking he won't get it back as he authorised the payments.

OP posts:

MadeOfStarStuff · 08/10/2021 16:53

He may still be able to claim money back, it’s sadly common for people to authorise fraudulent transactions because they’ve been tricked, but he needs to get in touch with the bank ASAP to explain what’s happened if he hasn’t already, so he’s notified them as soon as he realised.

Original poster

BloodyScammers · 08/10/2021 17:04

@MadeOfStarStuff - he did straightaway. He's spent the last 2 days trying to sort it.
This is from someone who is very intelligent and normally thinks rationally but he must have been spooked by the whole fraud thing.
But I did say that to him when he first called me up - that scammers succeed with these calls because people react to the threat of being scammed.

OP posts:

girlmom21 · 08/10/2021 17:05

I'm thinking he won't get it back as he authorised the payments.

In his defence, he notified the bank before authorising any payments.
IMO the bank need to take responsibility here. He made them aware of potential fraud and they allowed the payments to go through regardless.

JapanJetplane · 08/10/2021 17:06

It’s a tough one. People get scammed all the time so it does happen, but he has been spectacularly naive.

AFuturisticalSound · 08/10/2021 17:11

@Illstartexercisingtomorrow

I didn’t know caller ID could be faked. And I’m and intelligent, well read person. That would have thrown me off. But doubt I would have authorised it all either.

By well read do you mean like the classic novels? That kind of reading isn't going to help anyone not be scammed

You need to be street wise, read the popular media, watch TV or listen to the radio, read the daily threads on here. about scams

I am actually quite surprised by posters saying they've never heard of number spoofing, I obviously wrongly thought it was a mainstream bit of general knowledge.

HotPenguin · 08/10/2021 17:11

Are you sure he notified the bank? I've heard one of the tricks they use is to tell you to hang up and ring your bank, but they don't hang up, so the call is not cut off. You then think you are calling your bank but actually you are still on line to the scammers. So maybe he never did speak to his bank at all.

Original poster

BloodyScammers · 08/10/2021 17:11

@girlmom21 - I wish that were the case. He called card A to ask about attempts on card and they said yes there had been but not gone through. Scammers called back and said card B (and associated bank) also involved. DH did not call bank before authorising payments via bank app.

@JapanJetplane - spectacularly naive is being kind! you know what they say - a fool and his money....

OP posts:

CorrBlimeyGG · 08/10/2021 17:14

Thousands and thousands of people get scammed, confidence tricksters are very convincing. You could try to be understanding, rather than calling him a fool.

AFuturisticalSound · 08/10/2021 17:14

@girlmom21

I'm thinking he won't get it back as he authorised the payments.

The way I read it is that he approved the payments on a different account to the credit card company that he spoke to

That's the scam I think, to get him nervous so he doesn't call the bank. Maybe I've misunderstood but I'm not sure that the bank is at fault at all here.

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