New warning over automated scam calls - MSE News

I really have to wonder how credulous some people are that they will literally follow the instructions of someone who has called them out of the blue to transfer away all of their money, or withdraw lots of cash and give it to a stranger, or hand over their cards and PINs to a courier.

It's sad also that banks are now bound to refund people who do such stupid things, and that FOS now seem to take the line that they're liable for their customers doing such plainly idiotic things. It's not their fault, it's their customers' and the fraudsters'.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

An easy way to stop the scammers is a seven day transfer limit of £50 to new payees! Mind you some will still succumb to this!

I don't think it needs to be seven days, but you put your finger on something which seems very obvious: that the big risk comes when the payee is new especially if the amount is large - that's when the banks should be putting the big warnings on the screen, or applying a delay, or requiring an additional step.

The generic warnings on the screen when I make an online payment appear even if the payee is someone I've paid many times before - but it's hardly like I'm being scammed if I'm paying my son £10 pocket money for the 20th month in a row! :rotfl:

FormulaDriven wrote: »

I don't think it needs to be seven days, but you put your finger on something which seems very obvious: that the big risk comes when the payee is new especially if the amount is large - that's when the banks should be putting the big warnings on the screen, or applying a delay, or requiring an additional step.

They already are in some cases. Nationwide is asking for the purpose of payments to new payees and displaying warnings if the reasons sound scammy.

And of course people are already screaming about what an invasion of privacy it is for Nationwide to ask why they're sending money somewhere.

Katiehound wrote: »

Bank scammers don't appear to have reached here- yet.
They are too busy telling me Talktalk / BT/ 'my provider' will cut off my internet access and to press 1 to solve the problem

I'm getting those too. Spookily though, my (usually very reliable fibre with John Lewis) internet has started randomly dropping:eek:.