Banking Scam - Be Aware

Dear Residents,

In the past week, there have been 4 incidents whereby a female is calling up a victim and stating that they are from the victims bank, that they are changing their bankcards and a new one would be delivered to them in person in thirty minutes  The female appears to know a lot of information about the victim and their banking history, therefore the call appears to be genuine.

A male will then attend the victims address and request the victims “old” bank card and issue a “new” card. This male has been described as “IC3 male, approximate age 25-30 years old, medium build, short afro hair, clean shaven, medium build, around 6ft tall”. Another description given is “Black Young Male, of large build, wearing a dark coloured body warmer”

This has been confirmed as fraudulent. 3 incidents have occurred on Newquay Road, SE6, and one on Barmeston Road, SE6.

Your bank and the police will never ring and ask you to verify your PIN, withdraw cash or purchase high-value goods. They’ll also never come to your home to collect your card, cash or purchased items. If you get a call like this, end the call.

If you get a call from your bank or the police, make sure you know who the person is before handing over any personal details. You can do this by calling your bank (the number on the back of your card) or the police (101) on a different phone line.

To get a different line, use a phone owned by a family member, friend or neighbour. This is because scammers can keep phone lines open after pretending to hang up. So while you think you’re making a new phone call, the line is still open to the scammer, who pretends to be someone from your bank or the police (also see Courier fraud).

Depending on your bank, the security questions they ask may be different, but they’ll never ask you to authorise anything by entering your PIN into your phone.

Never send money abroad to a person you've never met or to anyone you don’t actually know and trust.

Check your statements or your online account regularly, even the small things you buy. Tell your card company straight away if you suspect a fraud.

Dispose of statements or slips that contain your card details carefully and securely by shredding or tearing them up. This includes your cash machine receipts, mini statements or balance enquiries.

If you need to destroy your bank card, make sure you cut through it, including the metal chip. You can also use a shredder to destroy it.

For more information and help or to report these and many other types of fraud, go to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre.