Telephone fraud

[kerryxeg]

I read an article in the daily mail last night about an old boy who was scammed out of £66k even though he had called Santander following the initial scam call. The scammer called back now claiming to be from Santander and told him to call the Santander fraud number on his card. Somehow the scammer managed to stay on the line, so when the victim called Santander, he was actually reconnected to the scammer, who then proceeded to manage the transfers obtaining the pin codes from texts issued from the victim.

Reading through the article was very confusing, so I can understand how confused the poor guy must have been. The scammer managing to stay on the line was the key to the fraud so I guess you have to always check you have a dial tone. Incidentally Santander have only now after 6 months agreed a 50% refund, which seems very poor given he did actually call for advice and notify them of a suspected scam before it happened.

[pete]

Th phone scam works thusly.

I phone you,

"Hi I'm your bank. Your account has been hacked. Please call our fraud dept, the number is on your card."
<you hang up, but I don't. I then play the dial tone SOUND down my phone. I then listen to you dial, I then play a ring noise followed by an automated menu.>

"Welcome to your bank, press 1 for fraud, press 2 for etc etc"

<this is the ACTUAL menu from your bank which I have recorded. The next menu asks for your bank account. You key in your number which I make a note of (I have a PC which can reverse engineer key presses into the numbers. Just like your bank has.>

"Please enter your PIN."

<same deal, I then connect you to ME who is pretending to be your bank!>

"Hi this is your bank blah blah blah." - I'm just trying to keep you on the line at this point tp stop you phoning your actual bank.

<meanwhile my associate is using all the passwords you have just provided to ACTUALLY phone your bank and clean you out.>

A radio show covered this yesterday (BBC news) and they didn't get it right either. They didn't understand how, if you hung up, the line could still be open.

Only the person initiating the call can end a call…

I've over three thousand posts and that might be my first useful one!!!

[tut]

Holding the phone line open is the common method now, and he maybe did not have a mobile, and almost certainly would not have known that he was speaking to someone other than the Bank when he called the number on his card.

If he did not have a computer and an Internet connection as is the case with my older sisters, I can sympathise, but otherwise it has been broadcast enough times on the News, the Internet and by the Banks and CC Companies themselves, that it is understandable that they are not paying out. If your account is hacked through no fault of your own then there is no question of them not refunding, as members on here have found out, and Ian did last week.

tut

ps:- your phone line is only supposed to stay open for two minutes in cases like this, but it seems that is not working.

[robin]

Tut,

Your two minutes is relevant only when on hook and is correct. You put the phone on hook for 10 seconds, then lift it, the other end will still be there.

If in doubt call the operator or the speaking clock or 118 118 ... if you hear your bank answering the phone, you know you're being scammed

Cheers,
Robin

[campbell]

About the only time I'd call 118 118!

[flyingscot68]

There is an element of that although we have been phoned by the banks many many times asking us for personal details and asking to go through identity check so they can talk to us about something or another.

I always refuse and tell them I'll call them back on the number on my bank cards.
I point blank refuse to give any details to anyone that phones me as I have no idea who they really are.
It's just down to common sense really.


Sent from somewhere using something

One caveat - make sure you call the bank (or whatever) on a telephone other than the one that they called you on ... if they called you on the landline then when you hang up, the line doesn't actually go up ... there are scams out there where they give you a dial tone, wait for you to dial, then pick up pretending to be your bank! This cannot happen with a mobile, so best use your mobile for the call back.

Cheers,
Robin

I haven't seen my landline phone for months, never use it.


Sent from somewhere using something

[mxvx]

Likewise. Just have the line rental for the internet. Don't even have the phone. I tried calling the number and it just rings forever more so hopefully that wastes some of their time.

[robin]

Likewise. Just have the line rental for the internet. Don't even have the phone. I tried calling the number and it just rings forever more so hopefully that wastes some of their time.

If you don't have a landline then you cannot fall foul of this scam, I believe.

Cheers,
Robin