Just been on the phone with my son who has had his current account emptied by a scam today, and his bank (Lloyds) are saying 'tough luck'
Asking for advice.
So, today my son received a phone call from 'his bank' saying 'there has been some questionable transactions' and that they will txt him with the details. Txts duly arrive within seconds while man is on the phone with my son. Man on phone says 'can you confirm the details in the text we just sent you'. My son reads out the details. Bear in mind this is in real time - phone call, txts, requests to confirm numbers in txts.
Later my son finds his account has been emptied.
I told the boy to call Lloyds. He now reports they say they did not phone him, but they did txt him to ask him to confirm that transactions were legit, and that 'he' confirmed this to be the case.
So the events as far as I can see are these:
Someone stole my son's card details (my son still has the card) and attempted to buy stuff over £100 a pop online. The fraudulent person not only has my son's card details they also have his phone number. They attempt to buy online and queue some transactions. They then phone my son and give him a cock and bull story about fraudulent transactions. They say he will receive a txt asking him to confirm transactions as legitimate - in a minute or so. While they are on the phone to him they press 'buy'. While they are still on the phone to him, my son's bank then txts him to confirm the transactions as legit (I have a hard job with this over the timing - is a check when a transaction goes over a certain amount done that quick?). My son then tells them he has the texts and gives them enough info down the phone to prove this (here is how the fraud works - my son gave out details from the legit txt from the bank to the fraudster; yes the txt from the bank said 'don't share the info here with anyone' but....<doh>). Fraudster then contacts my son's bank to confirm the transactions as legit (not sure how the fraudster did this as the txts were sent to my son's phone - another possible security weakness at the bank?) using the details my son has inadvertenty passed on.
He has lost all his money (about £1200). Lloyds told him to sod off on the phone tonight because 'he' confirmed with Lloyds the transactions are legit. Except it was not my son who confirmed the transactions as legit to the bank, it was the fraudster.
My son needs to ask the bank what phone number confirmed the transactions as legitimate, because it won't be my son's phone, and ask what checks they used to confirm that the message they received from 'my son' was from him, I think. Apart from that does he have any othe legs to stand on?.
Damned good scam, eh? Takes nerve and timing. Get the card number somehow and the mobile phone number somehow and off you go. Be careful out there.
Asking for advice.
So, today my son received a phone call from 'his bank' saying 'there has been some questionable transactions' and that they will txt him with the details. Txts duly arrive within seconds while man is on the phone with my son. Man on phone says 'can you confirm the details in the text we just sent you'. My son reads out the details. Bear in mind this is in real time - phone call, txts, requests to confirm numbers in txts.
Later my son finds his account has been emptied.
I told the boy to call Lloyds. He now reports they say they did not phone him, but they did txt him to ask him to confirm that transactions were legit, and that 'he' confirmed this to be the case.
So the events as far as I can see are these:
Someone stole my son's card details (my son still has the card) and attempted to buy stuff over £100 a pop online. The fraudulent person not only has my son's card details they also have his phone number. They attempt to buy online and queue some transactions. They then phone my son and give him a cock and bull story about fraudulent transactions. They say he will receive a txt asking him to confirm transactions as legitimate - in a minute or so. While they are on the phone to him they press 'buy'. While they are still on the phone to him, my son's bank then txts him to confirm the transactions as legit (I have a hard job with this over the timing - is a check when a transaction goes over a certain amount done that quick?). My son then tells them he has the texts and gives them enough info down the phone to prove this (here is how the fraud works - my son gave out details from the legit txt from the bank to the fraudster; yes the txt from the bank said 'don't share the info here with anyone' but....<doh>). Fraudster then contacts my son's bank to confirm the transactions as legit (not sure how the fraudster did this as the txts were sent to my son's phone - another possible security weakness at the bank?) using the details my son has inadvertenty passed on.
He has lost all his money (about £1200). Lloyds told him to sod off on the phone tonight because 'he' confirmed with Lloyds the transactions are legit. Except it was not my son who confirmed the transactions as legit to the bank, it was the fraudster.
My son needs to ask the bank what phone number confirmed the transactions as legitimate, because it won't be my son's phone, and ask what checks they used to confirm that the message they received from 'my son' was from him, I think. Apart from that does he have any othe legs to stand on?.
Damned good scam, eh? Takes nerve and timing. Get the card number somehow and the mobile phone number somehow and off you go. Be careful out there.