They may say their bank details have changed and ask you to update your payment details to direct the money to them.Īlternatively, they may email you pretending to be a senior member of staff and try to persuade you to make an urgent transfer. If you’re sending money using an account number someone has sent you by email, call them to double-check it’s correct and hasn’t been intercepted Supplier scamsįraudsters may contact consumers and businesses, pretending to be regular suppliers. Use the number on your card, bank statement or in the phone book, rather than a number in the email. If you think an unusual email could be from your bank, phone them to ask about it. Be especially wary if the email does not include your proper name or contains spelling mistakes or poor grammar. The email often comes with a story about why your details are needed, such as for a refund, a security and maintenance upgrade, or even to stop fraud.Īlways remember that a bank will never email to ask for your personal information or account details. These ask you to verify details such as your online banking passwords, PIN, or account or card details. Email scamsįraudsters also send emails and text messages that pretend to be from a bank. Remember, it is always better to bookmark the website address or type it in each time. Be especially cautious if you clicked through to it from an email that could be spam. To protect yourself, carefully check the address of the bank website you are using. One way to reach a cloned website is to click through to it from a spam email. These sites use a similar address to the genuine bank website and use it to trick customers. Online banking scams Website scamsīank websites can be copied ('cloned') by criminals.
Ofcom explains how to avoid 'caller ID spoofing' and why you shouldn't give any information to these people or call them back. We have been told that fraudsters are making the FCA’s switchboard number – 020 7066 1000 – appear in the caller ID of people they contact. It might seem genuine but it could turn out to be fake. You should also be wary of text messages to your mobile phone that encourage you to visit a specific website. They will then try to trick you into revealing information about your account. However, fraudsters may be able to change the number displayed on your phone to suggest they are calling from a genuine bank. If your phone (mobile or landline) allows you to see the ‘caller ID’, it will show the number fraudsters are calling from, or it will say the number is withheld. hand over your cash or card to them via courierĪ similar scam uses a tactic known as ‘number-spoofing’.give them your account details (especially if they already have some of them).Instead, they remain on the line to intercept your call when you try to contact your bank. However, when you try to end the call, the fraudsters don't hang up. They may even tell you to use the phone number on the back of your debit or credit card. To convince you that their call is genuine, they may tell you to hang up and call your bank. They might pretend to be doing a ‘fraud check’ or calling to discuss a problem with your account. Fraudsters may call you and claim to be from your bank, the police, or a similar organisation.
Find out more about some of the common ones, including: Find out about potential scams, how they could affect you, and how to protect yourself.īanking and online scams can take many forms. To learn more about relationship-based ads, online behavioral advertising and our privacy practices, please review the Bank of America Online Privacy Notice and our Online Privacy FAQs.Coronavirus (Covid-19): A major event like coronavirus can start new types of scam activity. These ads are based on your specific account relationships with us. In addition, financial advisors/Client Managers may continue to use information collected online to provide product and service information in accordance with account agreements.Īlso, if you opt out of online behavioral advertising, you may still see ads when you sign in to your account, for example through Online Banking or MyMerrill. If you opt out, though, you may still receive generic advertising. If you prefer that we do not use this information, you may opt out of online behavioral advertising.
This information may be used to deliver advertising on our Sites and offline (for example, by phone, email and direct mail) that's customized to meet specific interests you may have. Here's how it works: We gather information about your online activities, such as the searches you conduct on our Sites and the pages you visit. Relationship-based ads and online behavioral advertising help us do that. We strive to provide you with information about products and services you might find interesting and useful.