Santander UK have issued an important warning to its customers urging them to be aware of certain scams.
According to the bank, "advances in technology give criminals more ways to attempt to access your money" and are warning customer to be aware of three specific scams they could fall victim to.
According Chris Ainsley, Head of Fraud: "Fraud and scams can happen to anyone. We want to raise awareness to help you protect yourself. Before parting with your money or information, take a moment to stop and think, is this genuine? This could keep you safe."
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It comes as scammers continue to take advantage of the cost of living crisis, with the ways in which they are trying to steal money becoming more convincing. Recently, texts have been received by some claiming to be from GOV.uk and asks them to give details to receive their Cost of Living Payment. During lockdown, others had received texts asking them to buy covid test kits while they were free via NHS.
Three scams customers should be aware of are
- Investment scams
- Purchase scams
- Impersonation scams
If you find yourself target of an investment scam, fraudsters will try to pressure you into buying worthless or non-existent shares. "These can include crypto-currency, gold or even wine. They’ll use a variety of sales approaches to contact you, so please be cautious", warns the bank.
As for purchase scams, like mentioned above, the scammer will urge you to buy something. Santander says: "They can trick you into paying for high value goods that don’t exist, often through social media or auction sites."
The banks continues: "Impersonation scams happen when a fraudster contacts you pretending to be from your bank, the police, or another trusted organisation to convince you to send them money."
If you're concerned or think you've responded to a scam email or text or given your details out to the wrong people, you should contact your bank first and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
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