Don’t get reeled in by “vishing” con

Thursday 28 August 2014

Police are warning people not to be fooled by a phone bank scam that has been ringing round the Island over the past few days.

The con - called “vishing” - sees fraudsters trying to convince people that their bank accounts have been hacked to get their account details.

The police say victims are told that someone is in the middle of trying to buy an item online using their account details and that their account has now been frozen and they should contact their bank as soon as possible using the number on the back of the bankcard.

The victim hangs up but the fraudster doesn’t and then pretends to be the bank’s customer services representative to get personal banking details.

James Hughes from the Joint Financial Crime Unit said: “Your bank may call you if they recognise unusual activity on your account and they may freeze your account if needed, but they would never ask you to transfer funds to another account or make a decision on the spot’

“Please be on your guard and watch out for any suspicious phone calls. Unless you are completely sure of whom you are speaking to, do not impart any personal information or bank or credit card details over the phone”

“If you are under any doubt whether you are dealing with a scam just take five minutes and Google the details as many of these scams have been tried time and time again across the world.”

This week the Scotsman reported that fraudsters have taken more than £650,000 from 16 people in Scotland in the past six weeks.

Anyone who has had any calls like this should let their bank know as soon as possible and call the police on 612612.