Scam Warning From RBS Following Crippling Impact On Customers
The threat of scams is growing - and in many cases victims are finding themselves unable to claw a penny back, a major bank is warning.
Figures released by Edinburgh based RBS and sister brand NatWest show that more than 4,700 customers have collectively lost nearly £26 million to various scams this year so far.
On average, a customer who has fallen victim to a scam has lost more than £13,000 - and in 70% of cases they have been unable to recoup any of their money.
The bank said that some people, particularly middle-aged women, may find themselves being targeted by a romance scam'' - where the victim thinks they have found their perfect partner online but they are then asked for money, with the fraudster putting emotional pressure on the victim.
RBS said that many customers are embarrassed to tell their bank that they have been a victim of such a scam - but if they speak up then the bank can work with the police and other bodies to prevent it happening again.
Vishing'' is the most common scam that its customers have come across. In such cases, a victim may be cold called by a fraudster, who claims that their account has been compromised.
The fraudster may encourage the victim to transfer their money into a safe'' account - which has been set up by the conman. In many cases, the fraudster then transfers the money quickly out of this account, making it harder to trace.
RBS introduced new community protection advisers'' in July. Their role is to support branch staff to make sure they know how to raise awareness of scams among customers and spot the signs of a fraud.
Terry Lawson, head of fraud prevention at RBS and NatWest said: The threat of scams is growing. The means by which fraudsters trick individuals into parting with their money is becoming more sophisticated, but it always ultimately depends on the individual transferring money out of their account.''
He said the bank would never contact a customer asking them to transfer money, adding: If a customer of any bank is contacted by someone asking them to do this they should simply end the conversation and report the matter to the police.''