Financial scams and phishing e-mails

The aim of ‘phishing e-mails’ and scams is to get you to part with your banking details: bank sort code, bank account number, credit card details, personal identification numbers (PIN) etc.

Be aware!

Financial institutions will not contact you via telephone or e-mail:

  • to ask you for your PIN number.   (You may be asked for individual numbers to check your identity, but never for the whole sequence of numbers)
  • to ask for your bank sort code and account number.
  • to arrange to transfer money for you.
  • to send a courier to collect your credit card for any reason. (You would be asked to cut it up if it were to be replaced).
  • addressed to ‘Dear Customer’. You would be addressed by name.
  • advising you that you should take immediate action or your account would be closed.

Other phishing e-mails come from individuals who trying to obtain your information by asking you to supply banking details or asking you to click on a link to a fake website resembling an official organisation or financial institution.

Here are some examples of phishing e-mails.   (Click on the label to open)

Microsoft Account

TSB 24hr banking

Begging

Competition entry

Sharing money

NetWest