On BBC’s Dirty Rotten Scammers this morning, Rebecca, a lecturer at Cardiff Business School, explained how she fell victim to this scam and what she had done since to protect herself. Rebecca was called up by a man who claimed to be from the NatWest fraud team.
She said he was “very professional and urgent”. He called to tell her that her account had been compromised after seeing some suspicious purchases.
He asked her to log in to her account and verify that she had not made the purchase in question.
She said: “At this point I never expected that this was a fraudulent caller or anything like that.”
He told her that due to the supposed suspicious activity it would be safer for her to close her account and open another one.
In panic, Rebecca transferred all her savings into her current account and sent everything into the new account she believed had been set up for her protection.
In total she transferred around £7,700.
After having sent the money, Rebecca explained that something didn’t sit right with her so she wanted to call her bank and confirm the call was from them.
She was devastated to learn that it had all been a scam and she was not talking to a NatWest employee.
He said: “Just be cautious with that unexpected phone call, put the phone down and phone back yourself. We might ask you to reset your password, or replace your card, but we will never ask you to move your money into a safe account. That’s where it’s probably closer to a spy novel than it is to actual life.”
The website states: “Don’t open emails or attachments you feel might be suspicious. If you don’t know the sender, check and confirm they’re legitimate with a quick Google search.
On NatWest’s website, they offered some suggestions on how people can stay safe from this type of scam.
The website states: “Don’t open emails or attachments you feel might be suspicious. If you don’t know the sender, check and confirm they’re legitimate with a quick Google search.
“Keep your antivirus/antimalware software updated. Check to make sure that the updates have been applied, and scan your system for possible infections. If you receive anything asking for passwords or financial information, check with the company. If the message was from a friend, give them a call to confirm it was actually them. If what they’re offering seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Exercise caution when it comes to bargains.”
Dirty Rotten Scammers returns tomorrow at 10am on BBC One.
