Dosh dilemma: Louise and the fake bank ‘fraud team’ call

Louise was cooking when her phone rang. The caller ID flashed the exact name of her bank. She recognised it straight away because it was the same name that has appeared on texts and calls she’s had before from her bank.

A polite man introduced himself as “Daniel from the fraud team.” He explained that they had detected two suspicious online purchases, one at a gaming website, another at an electronics retailer. He said the bank had frozen her account to protect her, but to keep her money safe, she needs to move her balance to a new “secure holding account” while they “investigate”.

He read out the last four digits of her real account number, which shocked her, and said if she delayed, the fraudsters might still access her funds.

Louise hesitated. The call looked real, he knew her details, the she hadn't made the purchases, and he sounded so calm and professional.

Now she’s stuck.

Should she trust the ‘fraud team’ and transfer the money, or hang up and risk making things worse?

Fortunately, she decided on the latter and hung up.

What was it about?

• Scammers often spoof bank phone numbers, making the caller ID look identical to the real bank.
• They sometimes have partial personal data from previous breaches, which makes them sound legitimate.
• A real bank will never ask customers to move money into a ‘safe account.’
• If Louise had followed the instructions, she would have sent money directly to the scammers, and once transferred, it would have been extremely hard to recover.

What to do in situations like Louise found herself

Hang up and call the bank back using the number on your card

Hanging up breaks the scammer’s control of the call. When you call the genuine number on your card, your real bank will confirm whether any suspicious purchases have been made or not.

Refuse to confirm any details on the phone

Legitimate fraud teams will never ask for:

• full passwords
• PINs
• one-time passcodes
• transfers to ‘safe accounts’

If you refuse to provide such information, the scammer will likely to end the call.

Report the number and attempt to block it

You should block the number and report it quickly to:

• your bank
• Action Fraud, which will investigate
• your mobile provider

This helps protect others from falling for the same trick.

Warn family and friends

Spoofed ‘fraud team’ calls are extremely common. By telling others, you can help stop the scam from spreading, especially to vulnerable friends and relatives.

Remember:

• caller ID is no guarantee of who’s calling
• banks never ask you to transfer money for safety
• If something feels rushed, pressured, or unusual, hang up, breathe and verify using a trusted contact method.
• Protecting your money means trusting your instincts, not a caller’s confidence.