Eight things your bank will never ask you (but a fraudster might)

[Michael Browne]

In a bid to protect customers from fraud, the UK’s big banks have published a list of things they will never ask you to do. Sadly the list does not include “to repay your mortgage” or “to come into a branch for a ‘review’ of your needs”, but with luck it will save some from falling victim to the assorted phishing, s-fraudsters-seven-million-pounds"]vishing (phishing by phone) and -lose-money-bank-cards"]courier (sending someone round to collect your card) [problem]s which seem to be permanently doing the rounds. These all involve conmen pretending to be from your bank or building society or the police in a bid to get hold of your details.

 

 

The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) reckons that millions of people are opening themselves up to possible fraud, while a survey by Santander found that a third of people aged over-65 were unfamiliar with the most common types of [problem]s, double the proportion of younger people.

 

 

A leaflet and a new website, Know Fraud, No Fraud, have advice on how to avoid becoming a victim, and what to do if you get caught out as well, as well as the list of requests which should ring alarm bells.

 

 

Here’s the list – read it and share it with people you know who may be less clued-up on these kinds of things.

 

 

According to the list your bank will never:

 

 

• Ask for your full Pin or any online banking passwords over the phone or via email

• Send someone to your home to collect cash, bank cards or anything else

• Ask you to email or text personal or banking information

• Send an email with a link to a page which asks you to enter your online banking log-in details

• Ask you to authorise the transfer of funds to a new account or hand over cash

• Call to advise you to buy diamonds, land or other commodities

• Ask you to carry out a test transaction online

• Provide banking services through any mobile apps other than the bank’s official apps

 

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/oct/13/eight-things-bank-never-ask-you