Trading Standards advise a convincing fake Santander email has been circulating asking customers to update their online banking security.

A resident in the Westward Heath area was one such recipient.

It claims this is part of an online security update but giving away your information will potentially give scammers access to your money.

In this case, the fake email looks particularly convincing. It uses high quality Santander logos, and even includes adverts for other Santander products, featuring identical wording to genuine Santander marketing emails.

If you open the link, with good security on your PC, you will get the above warning: However, without, you will be taken to a very authentic looking website with fake security features that make it look real …

Trading Standards advise that the entire purpose of any phishing scam email is to get the recipient to provide personal information that scammers can then go on to use for their own personal gain.

Always be very wary of emails claiming you need to update or validate account information. If you are concerned about the security of any account, log in from directly from the official site, NEVER from an email.

Santander have useful information on their website on how to spot a fraud or scam.

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Although there are many reports about the hazards of online hacking and data breaches, what is seldom reported is how much simpler it is to "hack" people. This process is called social engineering and is far easier to do than one might think. The key to this is to gain a victim’s trust and thereby get them to disclose information that should be kept secure.

Scammers contact their targets, usually via telephone (vishing), text or email (phishing), purporting to be individuals in positions of trust, such as the Police, bank staff, or representatives of telecoms or utility companies. Having then gained their target's trust, they request sensitive information or items which allow them access to their target's bank accounts.

Such an incident has recently been reported in the Tile Hill area of the City:

An elderly resident was contacted by telephone from an alleged Police Officer and persuaded that their bank account was in the process of being compromised.

After gaining the residents trust, they were persuaded to withdraw a substantial amount of money.

The ‘Police Officers’ then went to the residents home address to collect the money for ‘safe keeping’

REMEMBER - Your bank or the police will never:

*Phone and ask you for your PIN or full banking password

*Ask you to withdraw money to hand over to them for safe-keeping

*Ask you to transfer money out of your account

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Watch out for telephone cold calls which claim to be from ‘VISA’ or ‘Mastercard’.

This warning comes after one of our local Councillors reported receiving such a call.

The cold calls deliver a pre-recorded message stating a ‘£600 overseas transaction’ is about to go through on ‘your account’.

Following these initial claims, the message then gives press button options, these have included:

• 'To prevent further transactions’
• ‘To speak to security’
• 'To speak to our fraud team’

We always advise people to be very wary of claims made during telephone cold calls. If you receive this or a similar recorded message call our advice is do not interact with the call and hang up.

It is likely there are a number of variations of these calls stating different amounts and reasons for the call.

If you are concerned about the security of a bank account or credit card contact your card provider directly using the Customer Service number printed on the card, never use details provided in a cold call.

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