Don’t call bank back straight away if you suspect scammers

Many thanks for that Nanie. I got caught out several years ago - luckily my bank, when I did eventually speak to them, was very helpful, understanding and, most importantly, refunded every penny that had been cleared out of my account. So thanks too must go to the RBS.

Excellent reminder glad you were alert.

Is this not Another reason for keeping landlines! Not everyone has another person in their home that they can use their mobile.

good point. i always want to keep landline.
or ring a friend briefly, to break the connection to scammers, then ring bank.

Yes, Nanie. I have been concerned that a BBC programme called "Scam Interceptors" advises people they identify on line as being scammed to phone their bank right away but don't seem to advocate using a number other than the one on their card.... BTW, after taking out Equity Release on our property via a link on the Reader's Digest - 'RD' -, we had several people calling us purporting to be RD/Equity Release, but with a 'local number' - not the one we had been using..... We just hung up on them and they eventually stopped...

if they ring on your mobile, ring back on the landline and vice versa, or borrow a friends phone.

I always understood that the key to all these scam calls was not to call your bank using the same phone the scammers have rung you on.

In fact, I would think if you were to say to them when they tell you to ring your bank is ' You do understand that I will not be riinging the bank on this phone, but using landline/mobile,' whether you actually have an accessible alternative phone or not, it should have the scammers ringing off instantly.

It's good to get these reminders every so often. Its easy to stop being on the alert.

I very nearly got hooked by a scam recently and would have been so angry at myself. It was an email purporting to be from a good friend I had not spoken to for a while and I was just about to answer it, when it struck me it didn't ring true. Phew.

Lollin

Excellent reminder glad you were alert.

Is this not Another reason for keeping landlines! Not everyone has another person in their home that they can use their mobile.

I’ve a call like this supposedly from ny bank about a new transaction and it was on my landline not my phone
I ignored it

Good advice! I've heard much of that before, but it's good to remind people, we all need to have our wits about us with regards to scamming. I'm not sure the bank would contact their customers by phone anyway, so that would automatically make me suspicious. Same goes for Amazon, I think I'm right in saying they don't phone either.

tenko I was only meaning if you have both a landline and a mobile then you have an alternative phone to use. Not everyone lives with someone or has someone they can ask if they can use their phone.