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Scammers posing as Virginmedia

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  • p00hsticks, It's me who uses such an app, we don't use the same bank so I'm just presuming, will ask her.
    She did spend most of the day with the bank and fraud team so I imagine they checked everything. I need to get more details from her when she is calmer.

    And you are right, she mustn't be wary enough, sadly. Unfortunately this experience will make her even more afraid of seeking info.

    What puzzles me the most, even though I know she is the sort of person who goes about things in her own 'unique' way, something just doesn't add up to me here. She seems very interested in the ID fraud element but isn't saying much or showing any emotion about the massive money loss. In fact she has barely touched on it all day, although when i ask she simply states 10K has gone.
    Knowing her like I do, this loss would normally cripple her and she isn't the type to hide emotions. I have this possibly naïve hope that she knows the money is ok or being reimbursed. 
    I advised her to reset her phone - she was too tired, will go to the shop she bought it from tomorrow  :/
    I also sent her a lot of info about banks and recovering the money and she didn't seem concerned.
    I am hoping, for some bizarre reason, that she exaggerated the financial element and is possibly too embarrassed to say.
    I am probably wrong.
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 34,524 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Watched an interesting edition of Scam Interceptors on Friday morning BBC1.  They are using ethical hackers to hack into the scammers systems and were following one of these scams as it happened.  The reply from Revolut, the scammers depository of choice, was a bit blaze - nothing to do with us guv !
  • a_fierce_bad_rabbit
    a_fierce_bad_rabbit Posts: 137 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 9 April 2022 at 5:31PM
    molerat said:
    Watched an interesting edition of Scam Interceptors on Friday morning BBC1.  They are using ethical hackers to hack into the scammers systems and were following one of these scams as it happened.  The reply from Revolut, the scammers depository of choice, was a bit blaze - nothing to do with us guv !
    That's interesting. She has been told to keep the Revolut app in case it is needed for evidence, although I am also aware that nothing will come of that!


  • a_fierce_bad_rabbit
    a_fierce_bad_rabbit Posts: 137 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 9 April 2022 at 5:23PM
    An update with a few more details for anyone going through this or interested:

    I asked her what happened during the call when the money was taken.
    She said the scammer opened her banking app (remotely) and told her they were doing a test to attract router hackers in the area.
    The scammer told her not to worry, sensing her discomfort, that no money would leave her account.
    Then a box appeared beside her accounts list with a British flag icon in it and a name (not decipherable) beneath. 
    Suddenly a sum of money appeared in this box, the 10k.
    She panics and the scammer calms her by saying they were putting that sum into her account to attract scammers.

    Shortly after the box disappears. And the scammer asks her to check the balance on her accounts to see that nothing had been removed from them. Sure enough, her account balances were intact.

    20 Mins later she gets to the bank and says they tell her 10k has gone. A further attempt to take £900 was stopped.
    She is giving me very little info about what the bank said.

    When I hear this for some reason my mind leapt to money laundering. If this was MY banking app, the balance would change immediately if 10k left the account. There was no pop up or warning from the bank asking her if she was 'sure' she wanted to transfer any money, etc. If they took 10k at that moment why didn't it show up until she'd got to the bank?

    She did receive a text from her bank later on saying 'thank you for setting up biometric recognition'.
    Does anyone know what this means?

    When I asked did she alert the bank to this, she said yes, but didi't divulge how they responded.

    I am very confused at this point, but offering help. I have at least managed to get her to promise to contact Action Fraud.
  • elsien
    elsien Posts: 35,932 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 9 April 2022 at 6:11PM
    Biometric ID is fingerprint or facial recognition. Hence the photo she remembers taking. 

    Just so as you know, action fraud won’t be getting her her money back. They’re more about monitoring on a wider level rather than individual cases.,
    All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

    Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.
  • elsien said:
    Biometric ID is fingerprint or facial recognition. Hence the photo she remembers taking. 

    Just so as you know, action fraud won’t be getting her her money back. They’re more about monitoring on a wider level rather than individual cases.,
    oh yes, i know, she has to deal with the bank. Her bank is on the code list so here's hoping she has some success. 
  • Ectophile
    Ectophile Posts: 7,966 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    The problem is they they have installed an application that gives them total control over her computer.  Anything she can do on it, so can they.  And they can sit and watch what she's doing, and take control at any point.

    It's very difficult for a scammer to log onto someone's banking system, by design.  It usually requires some extra authentication, such as a debit card and card reader, or text messages over the phone.  But if she logs on herself, then they can take control of the computer and start carrying out new transactions.

    If she has saved credit cards on shopping sites, such as Amazon, then they can also go on a shopping spree.  Any information she has stored on the computer, they will have access to.  That might include utility bills, letters or whatever.  All of the information they can steal aids identity fraud, and can be used to "prove" their identity if customer service people start asking awkward questions.

    At this point, the only sensible thing to do is to disconnect the computer and hand it over to a local computer expert to clean it and remove all their software.

    If you have any suspicion that they have done the same thing to the phone, then that also needs to go to an expert do "disinfect".
    If it sticks, force it.
    If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.
  • Thanks Ectophile, her card and account were frozen and a new card has been issued. Luckily she has never shopped online and usually asks me to order stuff from Amazon  :)

    I will discuss these points with her later.
  • a_fierce_bad_rabbit
    a_fierce_bad_rabbit Posts: 137 Forumite
    Third Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 20 April 2022 at 1:11PM
    I want to update this in case anyone is in the same position.

    My relative has been refunded by the bank and thankfully has all of her money back.
    She had been in to the bank to see the fraud team twice, both times they told her there was no way she would ever be reimbursed as "she willingly gave the scammers permission to take the money" (mm, not quite how we'd put it, but hey ho).

    3 days after mentioning taking it to the ombudsman she received a letter informing her that they had decided to reimburse her after all. It took a very short time, so this is good news. The bank was Natwest.

    And thank you, again, or all of your help and advice.

  • alewin
    alewin Posts: 183 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper

    3 days after mentioning taking it to the ombudsman she received a letter informing her that they had decided to reimburse her after all. It took a very short time, so this is good news. The bank was Natwest.


    So the bank ended up paying the scammers.
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