Tom Honeyands, a popular tech reviewer known as The Tech Chap, lost £70,000 after falling for a phishing scam. The incident occurred while he was on a work trip in Tokyo.
Honeyands received a call from someone claiming to be from Lloyds Bank. The caller asked if he had made a transaction in Singapore. When he said no, the scammer said his account was compromised and needed security resets.
The YouTuber, with 1.63 million subscribers, suspects scammers pieced together his profile from his social media videos. He noted that banking icons visible on his computer screen in videos might have given away information.
Scammers called late at night, knowing he was traveling from his posts. Jet lag and a noisy dinner environment made him less alert. He answered personal questions, leading to the fraud.
Honeyands said, "I feel like I am a fairly intelligent guy. I should know better. They knew my name, address, who I banked with, that I was traveling."
The scammer claimed to cancel payments and sent codes for verification, which were actually for adding new payees. Honeyands made 12 verifications, allowing criminals to transfer £70,000.
He realized the fraud when Lloyds' real security team called. He hung up on the scammers and called the bank back using the number on his card.
Honeyands advises people to be careful about what they share online, like not posting travel updates or showing banking apps on screens. Lloyds recommends calling back on a trusted number if a call seems suspicious.
