Scam text messages

What do you do if you get a text like this?

Do not use any of the information on this text message.  Delete it.  If you don’t have a Lloyds Bank account then you know it’s a scam – but if you do – then you might wonder.  How do you know that this is a scam?

Go onto the internet and type ‘google.com’ into the address bar at the top of the page – this will give you Google’s search page – then type ‘contact Lloyds’ into the search bar – the first thing listed will be the real Lloyds Bank – and you will see it’s www.lloydsbank.com

Any real links for Lloyds Bank will look like this https://www.lloydsbank.com/help-guidance/protecting-yourself-from-fraud/contact-us.html and will always begin with www.lloydsbank.com so you now know that this is definitely a scam.

Here is another one:  If you ask Google ‘contact HSBC’ they will list www.hsbc.co.uk so you know this is fake.  Delete it.

Banks will never ask you to move money to different accounts – nor to download any software to protect your money.

We are still getting phone calls asking:  “Did you purchase this item costing £90 – if not then this is a fraudulent transaction and you need to ….”  Actually, what you really need to do is put the phone down.  If you always buy through PayPal you can track your purchases and you can apply for a refund if things don’t arrive or don’t fit.

PayPal is having some issues of its own.  If you are a business and sell through PayPal watch out for scam emails saying that a purchase has been made – check your PayPal account to check the money has actually been received before sending out any items.  If you think that you’ve received a suspicious email, you can forward it to , without changing the subject line. PayPal will let you know whether it is fraudulent.  If an email seems suspicious, it probably is.

Find details of other recent scams here www.actionfraud.police.uk and on our Facebook page rainford-it -stay safe online and on our blog on our website.  If in doubt – call us – advice is free.

Published in the December edition of the Whitchurch Gossip