Safe Account Scams
What are they?
Safe Account scams are a type of fraud where a criminal will manipulate you into moving your money from your account to a ‘safe account’, because it isn’t secure where it is. In fact, the ‘safe account’ is the fraudster’s account, and your money could be used by criminals to fund serious crimes like terrorism and child sex exploitation.
What happens?
You may receive a phone call from your ‘bank’ or the ‘police’ telling you that your account has been compromised. On the call, the criminal will convince you that your money isn’t safe where it is. They might say someone else has accessed it, or that they’ve spotted suspicious activity. They will ask you to follow their instructions to avoid your bank’s security checks and make a payment to a ‘safe account’. You will have in fact sent your money to the criminal’s account.
How can I tell if it’s real?
Nobody will ever ask you to move your money to a safe account. It is safe where it is. If there are any concerns, or your details have been compromised, your bank can take immediate steps to secure your account - you never need to move your money.
What should I do?
Take a moment to think. Never be rushed - that's exactly what the fraudsters want. Hang up if you receive a call like this. Then, give your bank a call back on a number you can verify (the one on the back of your card, or on the bank's website). And then, visit the Action Fraud website for guidance on how to report what's happened. Never click on any links in text messages.
All too often people who have money taken out of their account by fraudsters have to fight to get it back. We’re changing that by introducing our Fraud Refund Guarantee. As long as you’re clearly an innocent victim of fraud on your TSB account, we’ll refund the money you lost from your account.
