In recent weeks we have had a number of reports regarding bogus telephone calls being made to both residents and businesses in the Craven area, this has resulted in some victims losing substantial amounts of money. The caller claim to be from the Fraud Department of your bank and will tell you there has been fraudulent activity on your account and, in order to protect your savings you'll need to move money to another account. The number they initially call you from may in fact show up as your banks actual number, this is called spoofing, once you've answered the call, you'll be given a number to ring to verify the authenticity of the caller. Again, this is part of the scam and it will be another fraudster you talk to, who'll " confirm " the original callers ID.
The fraudsters will sound utterly convincing, they'll use specific banking terminology and they'll know details about you. They'll continue to reassure you that you're doing the right thing, even suggesting your case will be used to help others in the future.
We want to remind you that banks will NEVER ring you asking to transfer your savings, if you receive a call and are not happy with it, hang up, you don't need to be polite.
* Always make sure the person who called is genuine.
* Never give personal or financial details over the phone.
* Just because someone has called you, doesn't mean you have to speak to them.
* Don't call back unknown numbers.
* If it is an automated call, do not follow prompts, do not press one.
* If in doubt hang up and wait at least 30 minutes for the line to clear.
* Consider contacting your phone company to discuss call blocking options.
More information on this and other types of Fraud can be found on both the North Yorkshire Police and Action Fraud websites.
