Nationwide warning to customers over 'out of the blue' phone calls
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Millions of Brits have been urged to remain vigilant following the rise of cruel cons that could wipe your bank balance. Nationwide recently warned its customers about the rise of 'safe account' scams which work by persuading victims to move their money out of their bank and into another account.
"They do this by calling people out of the blue and pretending to be from trustworthy organisations like your building society or bank, the police, or even the Financial Conduct Authority," the high-street bank explains. "They claim your money is at risk – your account has been compromised or there's been a security breach – and that you need to urgently move it to an account they've set up for you for safe keeping.".
These scams make it even harder for victims to get their money back, as they are technically the ones who are moving the money - not the scammers, even if it is because they've been lied to. "It's often too late, the money is gone," Nationwide added. While 'safe account' scammers might sound convincing, it's important to stop and really think about what they're saying? Why would your money be at risk when you could just freeze the account? If you're even the tiniest bit doubtful of the caller, hang up. You can call your bank using the number on the back of your card to make sure you're talking to an official employee.
No legitimate organisation would ask you to move your money to an other account, so such a question should fire off alarm bells. "We monitor all our members' accounts for fraud 24 hours a day, seven days a week," assures Nationwide. "If we spot something unusual on your account, we'll block your card to stop any card payments and send you a fraud alert message by text or automated voice call. This is part of our Digital Banking Promise to our members to help keep their money safe and secure.".
