Vishing Scam Makes Up to £7 Million

Aug. 30, 2013 - PRLog -- According to Financial Fraud Action (FFA UK), nearly a quarter of UK citizens are at risk of falling victim to increasingly practised scam.

Similarly to the e-mail scam phising, the telephone scam is aimed to garner sensible personal information under false pretences. By posing as an employee of a legitimate body such as the bank, police, internet or telephone provider, the caller attempts to gain the targeted person's trust in order to obtain personal (including the full name, date of birth, address) and financial information (e.g. credit card or bank account details and pin numbers). Once the information has been provided, it can be used to access the account or to commit identity fraud. In some instances, the scammer may also attempt to persuade the victim to transfer money to another account or make cash payments.

The FFA UK reported that nearly a quarter of UK adults could have been potential targets of the scam when receiving cold calls during which they were requested to volunteer personal or financial information. They also stated that 4 in 10 people found it difficult to distinguish a trustworthy from a fraudulent call. Conflicting comments on anti-spam communities like www.tellows.co.uk that rate and discuss telephone numbers show how people's perception of whether a call is genuine or not vary.

To narrow the risk of falling victim to the scam, it is important to never give out or confirm any kind of personal or financial details. Rather than giving into the pressure of the person on the other end of the line, you should consider putting down the phone and ending the call even if the caller may know some basic facts such as your name or address. Be aware of the fact that a genuine call from your bank would not include them asking for your pin or to withdraw money to hand over or transfer to another account.

Further information:

http://blog.tellows.co.uk