Santander has issued advice about a key sign a message may be fake after a person contacted the bank about a suspicious message.
Twitter user @CarrieA14748855 sent the group a screengrab of a text she had received. The message was purportedly from ‘Santander’ and read: “We need to review your account status because of your recent activities, please visit: https://account-safety.web.app.”
She asked the bank to confirm if the message was a scam text or not. Scammers often send messages pretending to be from banks and other organisations with links to a fake website under their control.
The victim is then encouraged to input personal or banking information on the website, for the scammers to exploit.
The bank said in response: “This seems like a scam. We wouldn’t normally ask customers to click links within SMS messages.
“I would suggest getting in touch with us on 03309 123 123 and an advisor can check if things are okay.”
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A man recently shared how he was targeted by a convincing scam where he had an email purportedly from Santander to say his Google pay card had been cancelled.
The scammers provided the last four digits of his card number but fortunately the man suspected the message was fake.
The bank told Express.co.uk it would not be able to confirm how the customer’s details were accessed by the scammers without talking to the individual involved.
A spokesperson said: “Fraudsters will often use personal or financial detail previously obtained through phishing, smishing or vishing to make their approach to potential victims look more convincing.
“If customers are in any doubt at all about whether a message is genuine, they should get in touch by calling the Stop Scams number on 159.”
Britons need to be vigilant as scam emails and texts can often be very convincing, with scammers using an organisation’s logo and official terminology to deceive people into thinking the message is real.
A fake message purportedly from a bank may say the person’s account is at risk and they need to transfer their funds into another account.
Another common ploy is for the bogus message to say a payment has been blocked and the customer needs to confirm their details.
What are the signs of a scam email?
Santander spoke about some common signs a message may be fake. These include:
- The email is addressed by either ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ or uses their email address, such as ‘Dear yourname @address.com’
- The sender’s email address doesn’t match the website address or organisation it claims to be from
- They ask the customer to click a link to update their personal information
- They say the matter is urgent and needs immediate attention.
The bank also said customers should avoid doing these things to help prevent being scammed:
- Never share security details with another person, even an employee from the bank.
- Never enter Online Banking details after clicking on a link in an email or text message
- Never download software or let someone remotely use a computer or device, during or after a cold call.
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