NatWest/RBS/Ulster bank  - Opportunist phishing emails

Be Aware: fraudsters may try to profit from the recent internal IT systems issues at NatWest, RBS and Ulster Bank by sending out fake emails to bank customers who may have been affected by this incident, asking them to disclose their personal financial information. Our advice in this situation is clear: always be suspicious of any unsolicited emails, whoever they claim to be from, especially if you are asked to disclose your financial details. If in doubt, contact your bank or building society via a phone number or email address that you know to be correct. Information about reporting a phishing email is available in our Request Advice section.

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Vishing

Fraudsters cold-call unsuspecting individuals and dupe them into revealing their online or telephone banking security details, by claiming to be from the security or fraud department (of either a bank, card company or another service provider) and saying that their records have flagged up a fraudulent transaction on the victim’s account or that the victim is due a refund. By seeming to offer assistance, the caller hopes to gain their victim’s trust. The fraudster, who may already have some details about the person they are phoning - such as their address - is really trying to find out extra security details, such as passwords. The fraudster may claim that the amount of the fraudulent purchase can be credited back if the individual divulges these details.

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Courier fraud

The courier fraud is a sophisticated variation of type of vishing scam where people are telephoned by fraudsters and duped into revealing their PIN and handing over their bank card to a courier.

To carry out this fraud, a fraudster rings you claiming to be from your bank, saying their systems have spotted a fraudulent payment on your card or that your card is due to expire and needs replacing. You may be asked to ring back using the phone number on the back of your card - which further convinces you the call is genuine. However, the criminal keeps the line open at their end so, when you make the call, you are unknowingly connected straight back to the fraudster.

Then, by seeming to offer assistance, the fraudster tries to gain your trust. In most cases you are asked to ‘cancel’ your existing card or ‘activate’ or ‘authorise’ a replacement card by keying your PIN into your phone’s handset. The fraudster then poses as a bank representative to pick up your card from your home, sometimes giving you a replacement card, which is a fake. In some cases a genuine courier company is hired to pick up the card, which the victim has been asked to place into an envelope.

Remember this advice:
• Your bank or the police will NEVER ring you and tell you that they are coming to your home to pick up your card, so never hand it over to anyone who comes to collect it.
• Your bank will NEVER ask you to authorise anything by entering your PIN into the telephone.
• NEVER share your PIN with anyone – the only times you should use your PIN is at a cash machine or when you use a shop’s chip and PIN machine.

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Text Phishing (also known as ‘Smishing’)

This is where a fraudster, pretending to be from a reputable organisation such as a bank, sends a mobile phone text message to someone, attempting to trick them into providing sensitive information.