Confused over 159 number

RolandTheSquirrel

Martin is doing a lot of talking about 159 and how it can't be spoofed or impersonated compared to normal numbers, but doesn't explain why. 
Does this mean it's no longer safe to use the numbers typically on the back of your debit card - the number which banks say you must always call and no other number? 
It seems strange that if these numbers can be spoofed or impersonated then why do banks use them? Why not use something more secure?
Or is 159 only meant to be called after a suspected scam call? Does it identify the last number that rung you somehow? 
I'm very suspicious calling a number which is third party to contact my bank when my bank itself tells me to only call them on the number on the back of my debit card.

DCFC79

the number 159 spells spam on your phones keypad, 159 is what you call when you suspect you have been the victim of fraud. I dont believe 159 connects you to your bank, feel free to still call the number on the back of your card.

sausage_time

While it is for suspected scam situations, I believe it will be routed back to your bank.

From https://stopscamsuk.org.uk/our-work/159-phone-number/

Easy to remember, the short code number now connects customers of more than 99% of the UK’s retail bank current accounts safely and directly with their bank.

Could be useful if you rely on phone payments and don't carry your cards for example.  Not had to use it, but seems useful.

tacpot12

Normal numbers can't be spoofed or impersonated. The only way to do this would be for the network routing to be amended to deliver the call to different end point. This is something that the network operators have very high security around. It would also mean that the bank would not get any calls which would immediately alert them to the fact that there was a fault on the lines delivering calls to them. They would call the network operators who would discover than an unauthorised change had been made. 

So it is safe to use the number printed on the back of your debit card, and on any letter than definitely comes from your bank.

Whne Martin describes numbers as being spoofed or impersonated, he is talking about the scammers persuading you to call a number that delivers the calls to them rather than the correct number. (The spoofing is happening before the customer dials their bank, not after they dial it). 

Eco_Miser

DCFC79 said:

the number 159 spells spam on your phones keypad

You've got a weird keyboard if so. None of the letters s,p,a,m are on the 1,5, or 9 keys, which are conveniently in a straight diagonal line on my keyboard.

DiamondLil

DCFC79 said:

the number 159 spells spam on your phones keypad, 159 is what you call when you suspect you have been the victim of fraud. I dont believe 159 connects you to your bank, feel free to still call the number on the back of your card.

I think you're confusing the phone number on the back of a bank card with 7726 which does spell "spam" on the phone keyboard and is the number for forwarding spam text messages to.

Peter999_2

It's really very simple.    You dial 159, you get an automated message asking you which bank you would like to be connected to.    You say the name of the bank and they put you through - only to the standard number though, it's not a special hotline or anything.     Obviously if you phoned it right now and ask for Santander you'd get an automated message saying they are closed.

Personally, I would find it very useful if my card was stolen while I was out and about and I didn't know my banks phone number but I can remember 159.    Also, if you suspect that you have been called by a scammer you can just hang up and phone this number to actually get to speak to your own real bank.   You can then check with them to see if the call was real or not.

I think it's a really good idea, it's not infallible but it's just a simple thing to try and help people.

eskbanker

RolandTheSquirrel said:

Martin is doing a lot of talking about 159 and how it can't be spoofed or impersonated compared to normal numbers, but doesn't explain why. 
Does this mean it's no longer safe to use the numbers typically on the back of your debit card - the number which banks say you must always call and no other number? 
It seems strange that if these numbers can be spoofed or impersonated then why do banks use them? Why not use something more secure?
Or is 159 only meant to be called after a suspected scam call? Does it identify the last number that rung you somehow? 
I'm very suspicious calling a number which is third party to contact my bank when my bank itself tells me to only call them on the number on the back of my debit card.

Surely the bulk of the dialogue about spoofing relates to inbound calls that you receive, i.e. don't believe that a call or text is from your bank purely on the basis that the number looks right?

I'm not aware of any issue relating to outbound calls that you make, other than the standard warning not to fall for fake dial tones after receiving calls from fraudsters on landlines, so provided you're sure there's no active call still in progress, there's no issue calling 159 or the number on the back of a card?

masonic

eskbanker said:

RolandTheSquirrel said:

Martin is doing a lot of talking about 159 and how it can't be spoofed or impersonated compared to normal numbers, but doesn't explain why. 
Does this mean it's no longer safe to use the numbers typically on the back of your debit card - the number which banks say you must always call and no other number? 
It seems strange that if these numbers can be spoofed or impersonated then why do banks use them? Why not use something more secure?
Or is 159 only meant to be called after a suspected scam call? Does it identify the last number that rung you somehow? 
I'm very suspicious calling a number which is third party to contact my bank when my bank itself tells me to only call them on the number on the back of my debit card.

Surely the bulk of the dialogue about spoofing relates to inbound calls that you receive, i.e. don't believe that a call or text is from your bank purely on the basis that the number looks right?

I'm not aware of any issue relating to outbound calls that you make, other than the standard warning not to fall for fake dial tones after receiving calls from fraudsters on landlines, so provided you're sure there's no active call still in progress, there's no issue calling 159 or the number on the back of a card?

Looking at the website linked above, it does make the confusing statement "Unlike many long-form numbers, 159 cannot be spoofed or impersonated". I don't think there is any suggestion that incoming calls from banks will use 159 as their caller ID. So the fact scammers cannot use it would appear irrelevant.

To me, this initiative just looks like a matter of convenience, so that those having to deal with these situations out of the blue don't have to go digging around in their wallets. An alternative convenience is to save the long form number as a contact in your phone (with the drawback that you'd need to do this for each bank).

born_again

Peter999_2 said:

It's really very simple.    You dial 159, you get an automated message asking you which bank you would like to be connected to.    You say the name of the bank and they put you through - only to the standard number though, it's not a special hotline or anything.     Obviously if you phoned it right now and ask for Santander you'd get an automated message saying they are closed.

Personally, I would find it very useful if my card was stolen while I was out and about and I didn't know my banks phone number but I can remember 159.    Also, if you suspect that you have been called by a scammer you can just hang up and phone this number to actually get to speak to your own real bank.   You can then check with them to see if the call was real or not.

I think it's a really good idea, it's not infallible but it's just a simple thing to try and help people.

When you get your card. make a note of both general phone number & lost & stolen line. Enter these into your phone.
Do same for each bank. 

Section62

masonic said:

eskbanker said:

RolandTheSquirrel said:

Martin is doing a lot of talking about 159 and how it can't be spoofed or impersonated compared to normal numbers, but doesn't explain why. 
Does this mean it's no longer safe to use the numbers typically on the back of your debit card - the number which banks say you must always call and no other number? 
It seems strange that if these numbers can be spoofed or impersonated then why do banks use them? Why not use something more secure?
Or is 159 only meant to be called after a suspected scam call? Does it identify the last number that rung you somehow? 
I'm very suspicious calling a number which is third party to contact my bank when my bank itself tells me to only call them on the number on the back of my debit card.

Surely the bulk of the dialogue about spoofing relates to inbound calls that you receive, i.e. don't believe that a call or text is from your bank purely on the basis that the number looks right?

I'm not aware of any issue relating to outbound calls that you make, other than the standard warning not to fall for fake dial tones after receiving calls from fraudsters on landlines, so provided you're sure there's no active call still in progress, there's no issue calling 159 or the number on the back of a card?

Looking at the website linked above, it does make the confusing statement "Unlike many long-form numbers, 159 cannot be spoofed or impersonated". I don't think there is any suggestion that incoming calls from banks will use 159 as their caller ID. So the fact scammers cannot use it would appear irrelevant.

To me, this initiative just looks like a matter of convenience, so that those having to deal with these situations out of the blue don't have to go digging around in their wallets. An alternative convenience is to save the long form number as a contact in your phone (with the drawback that you'd need to do this for each bank).

I'd need a bigger phone.

I've no idea if it is a real risk, or one I'm just making up, but might it be possible that saving bank's numbers as phone contacts exposes the user to the (small, possible) risk that the contact(s) have been manipulated and a scammer's number substituted for the bank's real one?

No matter how careless you are with the physical phone, and/or jailbreak it/downoad dodgy apps, dialling 159 would presumably allow you to be more confident you are speaking to your bank, rather than using a compromised saved contact which is now directing you to scams-r-us.

(Similar to the advice to always type the online banking address in full, not relying on google search results to take you to the right site)