Lloyds Bank has issued an alert over email to customers warning: “We’re being impersonated. Here’s how to spot the signs.”
Key signs of fraud
To help customers stay safe, the bank highlighted some key telltale signs that the message you’ve received might not be genuine, adding that tools like AI have made it harder to detect scams at a quick glance.
Starting with using customers’ names and the last four digits of an account in every email so customers know the communication is genuine.
Three emotional triggers
The bank explained there’s three key elements that fraudsters will usually put in their messages to try to toy with your emotions and get you to act out of character or without thinking clearly about what you are doing.
This includes creating:
- Fear – by telling you that something bad is happening
- Urgency – by saying you need to act immediately or it will get worse
- Pressure – by asking you to act without stopping to verify their claims
It also warned: “Fraudsters will pretend to be someone you trust. They may:
- Ask you to provide your personal details
- Pretend to be a family member or friend
- Pretend to be a bank, the police or another trusted organisation.”
Golden rules
The bank also shared its “golden rules”, urging customers to use the four steps to keep themselves safe, adding that this guidance will “never change”.
Lloyds says it will never contact customers asking them to share or reset a passcode, password or full banking details. It will also never ask customers to move money to another account.
The bank will never request that customers log in or verify themselves by using a link or a QR code and it will never request that customers screenshare their device.
The warning added: “If you see these signs of fraud, end the interaction immediately. You can dial a trusted number that’s saved on your phone or on a genuine company website.”
How to report scams
If you receive a suspect email or other communications you believe could be a scam, you can also report it to the Government and the National Cyber Security Centre for investigation.
The Government also advises: “Do not give out private information (such as bank details or passwords), reply to text messages, download attachments or click on any links in emails if you’re not sure they’re genuine.”
However, if you think you have been a victim of a scam, you can report the scam online and will need to contact your bank as soon as possible if you’ve lost money to a fraudster.
