Halifax phishing scam alarm as bank points to telltale sign a phone call is not from them
A customer got in touch to voice their suspicions about a call they had received.
Halifax has warned its customers of a sign a phone call may be fake after a customer reported a potential phishing call purportedly from the bank.
The saver got in touch over X to ask: "Are you ringing up account holders from 0800 numbers to discuss whether you could make better use of my money?
"The reason for my query is that I have just received a call from a lady with a west country accent addressing me by name.
"I asked how could I know she was from the Halifax as it was an 0800 number and her reply was that was she was working from home.
"She then wanted to know my date of birth and post code to compare with "the records" before going any further."
The customer said their suspicions were further raised by what happened next. They explained: "As I am wary of possible scams I asked her to tell me what sort of accounts I had to which she replied she couldn't until I provided gave her my date of birth and post code. That resulted in my ending the phone call."
A representative of Halifax said in reply: "What was the full number they called from? Also, did they say they were calling from us or 'your bank'."
If a person calling up says they are simply from 'your bank' rather than naming your specific bank, this is a sign they may be a scammer.
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Fraudsters often use generic terms such as 'your bank' as they may not know which bank you use, or are using general language to try and lure in as many people as they can into handing over information.
The person said in response: "She said she was calling from The Halifax. Number was 0800 917 9328."
Halifax then clarified the situation. They said: "I can confirm that was a legitimate call from us, but we do understand that if you're ever unsure then your best bet is to end the call and check. I hope that helps."
If you get a suspicious call purportedly from your bank, one option is to hang up and call 159, which will connect you to a legitimate phone line for your bank, to verify the situation.
Halifax is signed up to the 159 service, as well as other major banks including Barclays, Lloyds, Nationwide, NatWest and Santander.
Several telephone companies are also signed up including BT, Vodafone, TalkTalk and Virgin Media.
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