I was nearly scammed and you could be too

As I became increasingly sceptical, we asked for more evidence that he was really with the bank’s fraud unit.

We asked for his direct number so that we could call him back. He claimed he was calling on a secure and encrypted line that was not publicly accessible. I thought that was nonsense, but then he sent a second text message from the bank’s secure line and rattled off a string of impressive titles and names of his managers. When I queried why the bank would conduct an undercover operation using its customers as amateur sleuths, his response was telling.

“Do you think you know more about fraud detection than the fraud unit, sir? If you now lose funds from fraud because of your failure to co-operate with our investigation, then the bank will not be liable and will be unable to assist you any further. And as your account is already compromised, this is very likely to happen.”

Instead of being intimidated, my immediate reaction was that nobody genuinely from the bank would ever utter a barely veiled threat like that. I told him so, and tempers flared.

We asked to speak to his manager, and were promptly put through to another authoritative sounding gentleman, who glibly assured us that their inquiries were both in accordance with their internal code and the terms of our agreement with the bank, rattling off various sections and clauses from their guidelines in a managerial tone.

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Increasingly argumentative now, I openly doubted their credentials, and he then told Jan that my confrontational attitude was interfering with his efforts to assist her and save us from fraud. He pressed her to attend the bank branch, whereupon she asked him exactly what she would do once she got there. He said he would supply her with an account number of the fraud squad’s secure account, while he remotely monitored the transaction to see who within the branch might try to intercept it.

As soon as he asked for funds to be transferred to a “special account” we knew it was a scam and ended the call. We went to the branch to check that our account was secure and to alert them.

Although the bank staff assured us our accounts had never been accessed or interfered with, a check of their customer records revealed that in October someone had altered details in my customer profile. The branch staff were unable to explain how this happened. Whether it is related to the attempted scam is still unclear. Our confidence is rattled and trust eroded.

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The greatest concern is learning that readily available “SMS spoofing” software enables a scammer to send anyone a phone text message that purports to be from another number, even the bank’s secure messaging service. If not for that superficially reassuring step, we would never have even entertained the claim from “Gerrard” that he was from our bank.

How many have fallen for their well-rehearsed routine? The bank’s genuine fraud team said this scam was new to them.

The spoofing software removes any confidence you might have had that messages are from a reliable source. Beware!

Jon Faine is a regular columnist.