URGENT - please read this - scam alert

[RogerS]

There is a very sophisticated scam going round. You get a text message purporting that a New Card has been sent out to newly requested address. If unsure contact us immediately on 03333391788.

When you dial that number you get an auddio message from American Express fraud which has been cut and copied from the Amex site. You get through to a "fraud agent". He is setting you up for phase 2. Asks a whole load of questions fishing for which banks you bank with etc but not asking for any actual details.

The scam is towards the end when he says a senior member of the team will be calling me at which point I guess they try to get more detailed information, account details etc.

It was then that I smelled a rat and asked him for the last four digits of my amex card. He rang off. Amex's systems will recognise your caller ID and link that through to their systems and so the scammers are playing on that.

A very good scam. My only disappointment is that I couldn't tell him to Foxtrot Oscar.

 

[Spectric]

Just hang up and use another device to contact your card issuer, often the accent is a give away .

 

[RogerS]

Just hang up and use another device to contact your card issuer, often the accent is a give away .

I think that comment trivialises what is a very clever and sophisticated scam.

It was not a cold call coming in from a man with poor English and an Indian accent as you are alluding to.

The scam was in five parts. The first was the text message ...the 'from' field saying Amex. OK, the English is not 100% perfect but, hey, these days what company actually bothers to properly proof read and correct their messages or emails ? Even the FSA get that part wrong.

They play on the fact that when you call (or at least the last time I called) Amex, their systems will pick up your caller ID and bring up your account details. So no questions regarding validation that you get with most other finance companies. That puts you at your ease.

The accent was not Indian or any other ethnic accent but RP.

The playing of Amex's actual audio was clever and again designed to put you at your ease. The whole procedure mimics that which you get when you call Amex.

The dialogue was spot on and went through exactly the same sort of questions that you get asked on a legitimate call. There were NO questions that would put ones guard up. Subtle words inserted such as malware, virus get you focussing on possibly something on your computer and not where the conversation is going.

The sting would have come later when the accomplice called you back.

 

[Spectric]

I think that comment trivialises what is a very clever and sophisticated scam.

I think you can treat scams along the lines of safety, it is all in the mind and your attitude so when you get a phone call / text from any bank or financial institute take note of the claimed caller and hang up / don't respond it is that simple, don't make conversation and just think scam scam and scam. No mater how convincing or believable the call is you just must not trust anyone and need to take control by contacting the company directly using another device so you have the open line and let them tell you that it is a scam or yes it is genuine. It is a sad world when trust is lost but there are too many scum bags out there looking to take you for a ride because they cannot be pineappled to work for a living or do a decent days work.

The scam was in five parts.

Only if they hook you in part 1.

 

[Hon]

There is a very sophisticated scam going round. You get a text message purporting that a New Card has been sent out to newly requested address. If unsure contact us immediately on 03333391788.

When you dial that number you get an auddio message from American Express fraud which has been cut and copied from the Amex site. You get through to a "fraud agent". He is setting you up for phase 2. Asks a whole load of questions fishing for which banks you bank with etc but not asking for any actual details.

The scam is towards the end when he says a senior member of the team will be calling me at which point I guess they try to get more detailed information, account details etc.

It was then that I smelled a rat and asked him for the last four digits of my amex card. He rang off. Amex's systems will recognise your caller ID and link that through to their systems and so the scammers are playing on that.

A very good scam. My only disappointment is that I couldn't tell him to Foxtrot Oscar.

I had this last night. Very very convincing. Said they’d alert my bank as someone had malware on my phone and had all my details. Then some one purporting to be Barclays called - I felt uneasy and they pointed me to the number on the Barclays web-site - it was the same as the number they were calling from.
They managed to send texts from Amex and Barclays - which showed as carrying on from previous threads of texts from them, and make it look like they are calling from their number.
Perfect English, really helpful and calm. Making you feel they are helping you through a crisis. I asked his name - he said Mark Reynolds - even spelt it for me. On top of that I am on holiday overseas and as far as I knew both my debit card and Amex card were cancelled, so I’d have no money.
I ended up on the phone to them for 1 hour 20 while they were supposedly cancelling transactions.
After the call it sunk in and I called Barclays back - after speaking to several people and getting through to the right person, it became clear it was a scam. Their systems had already put a stop on some big transactions.
In the end they got only £25 - which I can claim from the bank. The worst thing is I felt like such a fool and quite shaken. I consider myself intelligent and vigilant - you really can’t trust anyone.

 

[BucksDad]

Two tips
- Disbelieve anyone who contacts you and mentions viruses / malware - it would be close to impossible for them to know if your devices were infected and tie it back to you. If you really want, you can always challenge them and say 'which phone? I have 2. Is it Android or iPhone?' or 'which computer?' and watch them stumble.
- Login to online banking and initiate a live chat - then you can be sure you're speaking to someone from your actual bank

 

[alan895]

That's pretty cunning, I've not heard of it before so thanks for sharing. I feel like my issue of not trusting anyone very easily these days isn't necessarily a bad thing..

 

[MikeK]

My financial institutions have a different approach to notifications. They never contact me by phone, text, or email asking for immediate verification of my account, and I immediately delete any emails asking for this information. All of my bank, credit card, retirement, and investment accounts use unique and complex passwords as well as Two-Factor-Authentication for access. The wolves can bang at the doors as much as they want, I doubt they will get in easily or quickly without being detected.

For the few times when a credit card holder noticed suspicious activity, I received an immediate email notifying me to log into my account and check the message center. The email notification did not have any links, as it is up to me to know how to log into my account. In each case, the suspicious activity was me trying to purchase a meal at an airport or restaurant while traveling.

 

[RogerS]

I had this last night. Very very convincing. Said they’d alert my bank as someone had malware on my phone and had all my details. Then some one purporting to be Barclays called - I felt uneasy and they pointed me to the number on the Barclays web-site - it was the same as the number they were calling from.
They managed to send texts from Amex and Barclays - which showed as carrying on from previous threads of texts from them, and make it look like they are calling from their number.
Perfect English, really helpful and calm. Making you feel they are helping you through a crisis. I asked his name - he said Mark Reynolds - even spelt it for me. On top of that I am on holiday overseas and as far as I knew both my debit card and Amex card were cancelled, so I’d have no money.
I ended up on the phone to them for 1 hour 20 while they were supposedly cancelling transactions.
After the call it sunk in and I called Barclays back - after speaking to several people and getting through to the right person, it became clear it was a scam. Their systems had already put a stop on some big transactions.
In the end they got only £25 - which I can claim from the bank. The worst thing is I felt like such a fool and quite shaken. I consider myself intelligent and vigilant - you really can’t trust anyone.

Out of curiosity, in the second call, were they asking you for your bank account details etc ?. Just wondering what information they needed to start taking money?

 

[nothanks]

I was contacted.
It's identity phishing.

 

[Graham Brazier]

Another part of a similar scam is they ask to see your card and to check it isn’t the stolen card or compromised card ?

They then send an agent ( mini cab driver ) to pick up the card from your address

Then you get a phone call asking for the PIN number as the final security check for the card

And yes people have and do hand over their card unfortunately

 

[Hon]

Out of curiosity, in the second call, were they asking you for your bank account details etc ?. Just wondering what information they needed to start taking money?

Debit card details. After the fact I see so clearly it was foolish to give them - but once they gain your trust and you are caught in the worry ….

 

[Stevekane]

Our “Plan” if we were contacted by phone is to thank them for their call and ring our bank or card issuer,,we dont want to have any conversation as such with any caller,,,hopfully this will keep us safe. The trouble is that the scammers are just so sophisticated and clever and seem to be operating way beyond the not very long arm of the law.
Steve.

 

[Spectric]

And yes people have and do hand over their card unfortunately

These are the people who are extremely gullable, who with a functioning brain would hand over a credit card and the PIN ! These are also the people who should be kept well away from DIY, any tools or sharp objects because they are probably capable of doing the most stupid of things.

 

[RogerS]

These are the people who are extremely gullable, who with a functioning brain would hand over a credit card and the PIN ! These are also the people who should be kept well away from DIY, any tools or sharp objects because they are probably capable of doing the most stupid of things.

True, but then where would the Darwin Awards get their candidates from ?

 

[Hon]

Our “Plan” if we were contacted by phone is to thank them for their call and ring our bank or card issuer,,we dont want to have any conversation as such with any caller,,,hopfully this will keep us safe. The trouble is that the scammers are just so sophisticated and clever and seem to be operating way beyond the not very long arm of the law.
Steve.

Good advice

 

[Graham Brazier]

Unfortunately most victims that I dealt with were older people / pensioners and were easily fooled with slick words but I did report one incident where the son in his 50s took over the call but ended up putting the card in an envelope and gave it to the bank agent (taxi driver) so some of what you said is correct unfortunately, make a 1000 calls you will eventually find one

These are the people who are extremely gullable, who with a functioning brain would hand over a credit card and the PIN ! These are also the people who should be kept well away from DIY, any tools or sharp objects because they are probably capable of doing the most stupid of things.

 

[Spectric]

make a 1000 calls you will eventually find one

I suppose thats phising !

 

[RogerS]

ha ha...got another text. Blocked my ID and called them. Pretended to be a rich Yugoslavian. I had a very strange name...spelled suckmi and surname dik.
I was bored. Kept them going for 20 minutes. Wasted their time and stopped them harassing someone else in that time frame. Come on, chaps....block your caller ID and call them. Let's all do it...block their lines.

 

[Owd Jockey]

Raising awareness amongst us all on scams is no bad thing, passing on this awareness to our friends and family will also hopefully reduce the risk of being scammed by this scum. I have suggested on previous similar threads to subscribe to Jim Browning's YouTube Channel, Jim has over 4million subscribers and is probably the leading anti-scammer on the Internet. Everyday I get at least one scam call, usually the unanswered phone call, which is particularly irritating if I am working in my workshop, or the call with a 'spoofed' STD number with a recorded message or person informing me of "suspicious activity" on my Amazon account.
I wish very, very bad things to happen to this scum. Jim's YouTube channel is

https://www.youtube.com/@JimBrowning/videos