Nationwide issues warning over ‘clever tactics’ scammers use to steal people’s money
New research has revealed that adults in the UK receive an average of two scam calls every week.
A survey commissioned by the Nationwide Building Society found that more than half (57 per cent) of respondents believe the frequency of these suspicious calls has increased.
More than a quarter (28 per cent) admitted they were not confident in distinguishing a legitimate call from their bank.
The construction company has now added a new feature to its “fraud check” service.
It allows customers to instantly verify whether the call they are making is genuine, via Nationwide’s banking app.
Customers can open the app, go to “more” and “call controller” to see if they are on a call with Nationwide.
Nationwide warned that fraudsters could ask victims to share personal information, provide security codes, transfer money or even lie to their bank or construction company.
While more than half (53 per cent) of people say they hang up immediately if they suspect a call, only 29 per cent report it to their bank.
Jim Winters, economic crime manager at Nationwide, said: “Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and impersonation calls are one of the most common ways to trick people into handing over money.
“We are programmed to trust people, and when someone uses clever tactics and well-executed scenarios (usually to pressure us or throw us into panic), it can be hard to know who to trust.
“Our call checker feature gives our customers peace of mind by verifying whether a call is real or not. It’s a simple and effective step that can prevent someone from becoming the next crime statistic.”
The survey was conducted by Censuswide in December, with the participation of 2,000 people.
