A mum from Northern Ireland has warned others to make sure their bank accounts are secure after her bank information was used without permission.
The Derry native said she received a call from Santander's fraud squad over the weekend alerting her that her card had been copied and used in five separate transactions.
Taking to social media, she said was baffled at how it had occurred after explaining that she 'never ever clicked on stupid links or gave out details or passwords'.
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She said: "I had [Santander's] fraud squad on the phone today as my card was copied! Really don't understand how someone down the country could copy my card and I never ever click stupid links or give out details or passwords.
"Turn on your two-factor authentication on your phones because five transactions, some over a hundred pounds, were identified and they started small and worked their way up. Only my two-factor authentication stopped them!"
Meanwhile, a Santander spokesperson said: “Protecting our customers from fraud is a top priority for the bank, and we have comprehensive systems in place to help detect suspicious payments and activity.
"We strongly encourage customers to immediately report any transactions that they don’t recognise and keep their own personal and banking details as safe as possible by following our top tips.”
Action Fraud UK said that those affected by bank fraud should Immediately report lost or stolen cards or suspected fraudulent use of your card to their card company.
"You should also report lost or stolen chequebooks or any missing cheques. Banks and companies have 24-hour emergency numbers printed on account statements," they said.
"Report the offence to the relevant bank or card company, which will then be responsible for reporting the matter to the police. If the theft of your cards or cheques involved another crime – for example, if your bag was also stolen – you should make sure it is reported to the police."
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