Lloyds Banking Group which includes the Bank of Scotland has set out plans to axe another 53 high street bank branches which will include sites in Scotland.
29.02.2024 - 06:59 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Fraudsters posing as bank staff, police, and even close family members have stolen billions in the past year from the savings of unsuspecting people - and this crime is only on the rise.
In 2023, impersonation and identity scams accounted for roughly 70 per cent of all of the 400,000 frauds reported to the National Fraud Database. This translates to a whopping £7.5 billion stolen from hard-working people across the country every year.
These impersonation scams are only happening more and more, with a 13 per cent jump in the past year alone as scammers step up their game and learn new ways of gaining access to people's hard-earned money. However, there are ways to protect your information and your money from these fraudsters.
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There are some general tips to avoid being defrauded, such as being wary of phonecalls and messages from numbers or email addresses that you are not familiar with, being extremely careful of anyone that asks you to fill in an online form to get a refund or other money, and not letting yourself be rushed into a payment. Remember, Bank workers and police officers will never ask you to move money or download something onto your device.
Lloyds Bank data shows that, of the 13 per cent overall rise in reported impersonation scams, it was fraudsters pretending to be either police or bank staff which rose the most. Not only was it the fastest growing impersonation scam, the Lloyds Bank data shows it was also the most common.
Taking advantage of their victim’s trust, fraudsters carrying out bank impersonation scams claim the victim’s bank account is at risk and ask them to move their money to a ‘safe account’. They may ask their
Lloyds Banking Group which includes the Bank of Scotland has set out plans to axe another 53 high street bank branches which will include sites in Scotland.
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