new Scam using the phone

"we pay by credit card rather than debit card so how would they know where we bank?" Every credit card has a number, which is typed or scanned in. Each bank or credit card supplier has a six-digit Issuer Identification Number - the first six digits on the cards. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payment_card_number , The next digits (up to 12) are added by the bank and are the account identification number It is not hard for a scammer to know which banks have numbers starting with what numerals.

Contactless cards are no different, they just can read the number without it going through the machine in close cantact.

I'm sorry Elegran I can't agree. Most of the people who have been scammed in this way appear to be older, how do they know its an older person? How do they know that person has a lot of money in their bank account? Most of us have very little in our bank account and since we have contactless payments we pay by credit card rather than debit card so how would they know where we bank?

Jaq10 there is a danger if you call the number on the back of your card that they are still on the line, yours clearly was your bank but it could have been a scammer. It has never happened to me but I think if it did I would call another number, a friend or my mobile, to check the line was free first.

I would always be wary if I had a text from my bank which I wasn't expecting. When DH gets one he always asks me what I have done as I do our banking.

It is confusing that banks do sometimes call & ask for ID info, or text & ask you to text back.

I won't engage with any of them and contact the bank myself at a different time if I think it might be genuine.

I took a call on Saturday morning a few years ago from a caller who said they were from my bank regarding a suspected hacking of our account. I said I wasn't comfortable speaking to her about this and she asked me to hang up and get my bank card and phone the number on it. This I did and they put me through to their fraud dept. It turned out there had been two suspicious withdrawals on my account which triggered an alert with them. The bank said the fraudster's method was to clone my card (I suspect I was hacked at our local Tesco's as I always use it to withdraw cash on a Friday) and test it out with a couple of small withdrawals or purchases and then make the "big one". It was quite frightening as we stood to lose a lot of money but the bank were very re-assuring.

Anyone you have paid with a credit/debit card or a cheque knows which bank you use.

Nonnie They are not random calls - they are calls to all possible numbers. They dial several numbers in rapid succession, and the first one to answer gets the chatline. If you don't answer at once, it goes on to the next in the list. You may have noticed how often by the time you reach the phone from another room it has stopped ringing - some other poor sod is now getting it.

As for knowing that you have a lot of money on your account - do they mention exactly how much? I am willing to bet they don't, that everyone thinks that what they have is a lot to lose.

It only taks one person a day to fall for it to make it worth their while. Everyone has to make sure that one person isn't them, and also make sure that any vulnerable friend or family member is aware of the scams too.

We get almost daily calls about our phone and I wonder how they know who our provider is. We block each one but, as someone has already said, they can change the number at will.

I have a real problem about the bank scams, there must be criminals working in the bank or how would they know which bank and that there was a lot of money in it? It has been suggested that they are random calls but I don't believe it because it would be an almost impossible task to call a person who banked with a specific bank and had £xxxx in their account.

No, safety depends on how much security software you have installed. Mobiles and ipads have less memory usually and keep in mind that if you are out of your own house and not using your wifi then you are at risk. Sitting at a table in a café you can be hacked, you just need to turn on your device and those with a mind to will access all your details.

We were told iPad was better than laptop is this right?

Mobile devices are not as secure as desktops for financial transactions, I would never use internet banking on them.

I'm amazed at some of the stories coming up but have had this first hand when I'm getting texts saying payment due on car insurance or mandate it's getting taken out not recognising the company knowing I do everything by dd. My sisiter is normally astute and the way the guy spoke to her was polite and calm (can't go into the.whole thing) she keeps playing it over and over she still works and does online banking etc using tablet but this new is all going into question after this current episode.

Had a call from an "indian" sounding man purporting to be ringing from Hammersmith Police Station to tell me my credit card had been cloned and wanting details. Told him to contact my local police station and I would go there to discuss it with them. He rang off.

Landline and internet termination is a weekly call to us, when they say they are BT DH says "no you are not, you are criminals". The numbers that appear on your phone are not even real numbers, they are generated to prevent them getting prosecuted under the missuse of telephone system. You can block them until the cows come home but you will still get the calls.

The other thing. Fraudsters are now able to create false numbers to show on your phone, so the number given means nothing at all.

It is the rule that has been in place for decades. If someone claiming to be your bank or any other organisation rings up and asks you to do things with your money or give them information. Do nothing.

Just ring your bank yourself, on another phone and number. If you have to use the same phone, do not ring for about an hour because sometimes the fraudsters keep the line open, so that you think you are ringing the bank, but instead you get right back to the fraudsters.

Thank you so much this follows on from my sister been scammed on wed night following a call from her so called bank ( number used came up same as bank?)said unusual activity on her account had she bought two tickets for...? She gave them some info to get the money back checked her account next day emptied! Please be aware they are getting so clever and can imitate your bank in speech and format she thought she had lost£6,000 but last night heard they'd managed to get to it before scammers pocketed all down to timing! Hate to think anyone else will go through this humility and upset ,

Thank you Mick.So many scams about?

Thanks mick. Good warning!! I think they use lots of different numbers though, not just that one.

Oh yes.. we have bern getting that one too. Number now blocked!,

Thanks, Mick. Have you blocked the number?