SMS Phishing – Coming to the UK?
Posted under: As you know, what happens in the US never takes long to hit the UK.
Unfortunately, the same can be said of scams, so we should expect this to arrive on our shores soon.
We’ve received a report of a new twist on the Phishing scam where a US resident had a text message by mobile phone saying that their bank account had been frozen and giving them a phone number to call. This connected to an automated system which asked for personal details such as bank account number, password and social security number.
Detective Barry Wohl of the Arizona PD said “This is a scam, it’s going on at the present time, and there have been numerous victims. These cases are usually out of the country or come up with bogus addresses. We advise residents not to provide any personal information over the phone, especially Social Security information.”
He also said that whilst this was the first report received by the police, several internet users had reported similar incidents online.
Do not respond to a text message that purports to come from your bank. Call the customer service number on your statement and speak to an advisor. They will tell you if a problem exists. If you receive an SMS of this nature, contact your local police and they will investigate the source of the text message.
Follow our advice on avoiding phishing scams:
1) Do not visit websites linked to from emails purporting to be from your bank
2) Do not give your details to anyone over the phone if they call you purporting to be from your bank
3) Do not call any number provided to you by anyone purporting to be from your bank. Always call the customer service number printed on your statement.
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