How can I be sure a call or text is from my bank?

MSE_Laura_F

I'll kick things off with the first question.

Sadly we often hear about scammers who call or text people, pretending to be their bank. How can I make sure a call or text that looks like it's from my bank really is?

MACKEM99

MSE_Laura_F said:

I'll kick things off with the first question.

Sadly we often hear about scammers who call or text people, pretending to be their bank. How can I make sure a call or text that looks like it's from my bank really is?

You cant.  All you can do is contact the bank by a method you can trust

born_again

Best bet is to use known contact details, such as on the back of you card. Or a number that you have taken from banks website.

Which is a good thing to do. Especially the lost card number. Saves trying to find it while out & about when you have lost your card 👍

RobM99

I had "my bank" ring and ask my security questions which I deliberately answered wrongly. (My first pet wasn't really Oscar the Goldfish, it was...Ha - not telling!). The scammer said "Thanks, that's fine!"

But as said,1 ring them on a different phone if possible on a number you have found on their website. Call at a branch (not so easy these days I know).

Just an aside - do banks ever ring these days?

MSE_Katie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HIwyc0mfGw

Transcript of the video above:

We often get the question, "How do I really know if it's my bank contacting me by text or by phone?" The simply answer is: you can't.

Scammers are so sophisticated: they can say lots of things to make you believe they are really from your bank; they can use details they find about you online to convince you they've got your records up in front of them; and they can even spoof the name of your bank in the sender of a text message.

My rule of thumb is: if you're not sure, hang up straight away. Politely say, "I'm going to hang up and call back on a number that I have, thank you very much." A real bank will never ever mind you doing that. You can simply call them and say, "I think I've been contacted by you - could you please confirm that and then put me back through if so?" I do that all the time, and I did it to a real bank once as well, and they didn't mind at all. But if they're trying to keep you on the phone, that's a sure sign that they're probably a scammer. No real bank will ever mind you checking for your own safety.

Katie Watts - MSE Scams Expert

This question and answer came about during the MSE Forum 'Ask An Expert' event. It won't be updated so may no longer be correct at time of reading. This info does not constitute financial advice: always do your own research on top to make sure it's right for your circumstances

Ask an Expert: Scams (Jan 2023)