If someone contacts you out of the blue by phone, email or text message:
Stop taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
Challenge could it be fake? It's OK to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
Protect contact someone you trust, such as a friend or family member and contact the company directly.
More ways to stay safe online
We also regularly post warnings about common scams on our social media channels , and .
Avoid buying gig, festival or sports tickets from anyone apart from official sellers or the box office.
If you buy from unofficial sources, you could be a victim of fraud.
Criminals typically pose as a seller and post on social media or an online marketplace.
They'll tell you theyll post or email the tickets once youve transferred the money to their bank account.
But when you try to contact them after nothings arrived, theyve disappeared off the face of the earth.
This happens to thousands of music, sports and other fans every year who get tricked into buying fake or non-existent tickets.
Remember to:
Scammers are targeting international students in the UK with emails and phone calls, often from China.
Sometimes they already have personal details like a students ID card to seem more real. Be cautious.
The scammers are well prepared to make themselves seem genuine. They often present on video messaging services dressed in what appear to be official police uniforms with a badge.
Fraudsters like to ask for high value payments and try to hide their crime by asking you to put through a payment as friends and family'. They then ask you to lie if your bank asks questions about the purpose of payment.
You will be deported if you dont pay
You must pay now to avoid a criminal investigation
Keep this call a secret
A money mule is someone who's tricked into helping criminals by moving money into or out of their own bank account. It often seems like a harmless request but it is a crime and has serious consequences.
Scammers persuade people to accept payments into their bank accounts. They tell them to transfer the money on to a different account or withdraw cash and hand it over to them. They may offer payments, gifts or rewards for doing this.
Scammers often target people facing financial difficulties or those looking for a quick way to make some extra cash. It can seem like an easy way to make money without having to do much. They may approach you through social media, spam emails or build a friendship with you in person before asking for your help.
It might seem like a harmless way to increase your income, but people acting as money mules will usually be unaware of where the money comes from, or where it goes.
Being a money mule can get you into serious trouble. Read more on money mules.
Never open a bank account in your name for someone else to use.
If someone asks you to accept a payment on their behalf, or move money stop and think does the request make sense?
Always question the request - how well do you really know this person? And would you do this if it involved handling cash and passing it on to a stranger in person?
If you're worried that you or someone close to you might be caught up in money muling, you can contact HSBC directly using the number on the back of your card.
You can also report this anonymously to .
Call diversion is a feature available through your telephone provider which lets you divert calls to almost any phone, including your mobile. You may be charged a fee by your provider for using the service.
You can dial:
Fraudsters are impersonating bank staff, claiming they need to confirm information by dialling a code, usually sent via text. Watch out for unexpected messages which ask you to dial one of these codes on your phone.
They will ask you to dial a call diversion code followed by a phone number and #.
For example, you may be asked to dial *21+447XXXXXXXXX#.
Dialling these numbers will not confirm any information with HSBC. Instead, this will send a request to your telephone provider to divert phone calls to the number stated after the *21.
This will be a number owned by fraudsters, who will then be able to answer your calls.
If youre a victim of this type of scam, call ##002# to cancel active call diversions. Youll receive a notification when the cancellation is successful.
You should also contact HSBC using the number on the back of your card and inform your telephone provider.
Fraudsters may contact you posing as a police officer or bank official to try to trick you into handing over:
They offer to send a courier to collect them from you.
They try to create a sense of urgency or fear, saying you must take immediate action to protect your money, or help them with a fake investigation.
Someone claiming to be from your bank or local police force calls you to confirm personal details such as your name, address and PIN number.
They may suggest you call them back to prove they are genuine. They then stay on the line. When you try to call back theres no dial tone, and you connect straight back to them.
They claim their systems have spotted a fraudulent payment on your card, or that its due to expire and needs replacing. They offer to send a courier to collect your bank card.
They claim theres an investigation. Youre asked to withdraw money or buy expensive items and hand these over to a police officer or courier, who will return everything once the investigation is complete.
You may also be told that money has been taken from your bank account by corrupt banking staff. The fraudsters may ask you to lie to your bank or bypass security measures to help the investigation.
Its important that you never lie to your bank.
Remember that HSBC or the police will never call you to verify personal details or your PIN. Well never offer to send a courier to pick up your card.
Remember to . Hang up and wait 5 minutes before calling your bank, using the contact number on the back of your card. Ideally, use a different line to call back, as fraudsters may stay on the line after youve hung up.
Only ever hand over your banking cards at an HSBC branch. If the card is cancelled, you should destroy it yourself by cutting directly into the chip.
Have you spotted a last-minute holiday deal on social media? Does the travel company only accept payment by bank transfer? Be careful this could be a scam.
Fraudsters are creating fake adverts and emails to scam holidaymakers. They often impersonate travel companies to trick people into visiting a bogus website.
These websites can look very convincing, and some may even be clones of real travel companies. Fraudsters may ask you to pay for your holiday by bank transfer this makes it much harder for you to get your money back.
Fraudsters can use a flight or hotel booking cancellation as a way to scam holidaymakers. They may:
You may also get a call from a refund agent. These scammers may promise a quick refund if you hand over your bank details, sometimes asking for upfront payments disguised as fees.
Be on the lookout for scam emails and texts from fraudsters posing as HMRC as the tax year ends in April.
Scammers send bogus messages claiming to be from HMRC. These can be harder to spot around the end of the tax year, when you might also be expecting real alerts from HMRC.
They may try to trick you into handing over your account or card details by claiming youve received a tax rebate. Or they may send fake bank details to fool you into sending your tax payments to the scammers instead of to HMRC.
Dont let your guard down. If you get an email or message from HMRC, stop and think. Could it be a scam? HMRC will never ask you to hand over confidential information like passwords, one-time passcodes (OTPs) or your PIN. You should also never share your HMRC login details.
If youre contacted and think it might be a tax scam:
If you need to contact HMRC, only use phone numbers, links or web addresses from official websites or letters.
If someone asks you to buy gold and hand it to them for safekeeping, its a scam.
Fraudsters are tricking people into buying gold, other precious metals, or jewellery and then physically handing it over to criminals.
They may pose as police, bank employees, or other government officials (or all of these together) to make you believe your money is not safe in the bank.
The exact details of each scam can vary. They may involve more than one scammer posing as different organisations. They may tell you:
Scammers will make you believe they are helping you to trick you into giving them gold. They might ask you to buy it from a reputable supplier.
The police and government agencies will NEVER ask you to buy gold. Anyone who does this is trying to trick you.
Stop and think. If you are asked to buy gold to stay safe, it is a scam. Legitimate fraud investigations will not ask you to do this.
If someone contacts you or asks you to buy or hand over gold or jewellery, hang up immediately.
If you think youve been a victim of fraud, call the number on the back of your HSBC card immediately. You can also make a report to .
Met a new partner or friend online? Are they unable to meet in person? If they ask you to send them money, it could be a fraudster using a fake identity to scam you.
Criminals set up fake profiles on dating sites or social media, and build relationships with victims who think theyre talking to a real person. They build trust, often over months of chatting and even phone calls. Theres usually a believable reason they cant meet in person. Then they play on your emotions to trick you into sending them money.
Its easy to be fooled read how Marjorie lost 瞿100,000 to a romance scam.
A scammer youve only met online might ask you for money and say things like:
If someone youre talking to online asks for money, stop and think. Check in with family or friends you know in person for a second opinion.
Never send money to someone you havent met in person. They might not be who they say they are.
Call us using the number on the back of your card if you think youve been the victim of a romance scam.
Scams involving hotel bookings are on the rise.
If youre making payments for hotels or holidays, take extra care to protect yourself from fraud.
Some hotels have recently been compromised by scammers, which also impacts major booking platforms.
Clicking payment links in messages like these allows scammers to take your payment instead of the hotel.
Stop and double check before making hotel or holiday payments. Call your hotel directly if you receive an unexpected request for payment, even if this comes through an official booking platform or app.
Call the number on the back of your card immediately if you think youve been a victim of fraud.
You can stay up to date with alerts about latest scams by downloading the HSBC Fraud and Cyber Awareness app.
Fraudsters are out to fool people during Black Friday with deals that dont exist. These are called purchase scams.
Purchase scams happen when you pay for a product or service that doesn't get delivered. This means your money is lost.
Watch out for offers that:
Remember to:
Find out more about purchase scams and other common scams.
Beware of downloading fake or fraudulent apps onto your mobile phone.
Criminals can make fake or fraudulent apps. They try to trick you into downloading them onto your phone by clicking unsafe links, or not using your phones official app store.
These fake mobile apps contain malware, which can block, redirect or impersonate legitimate apps including the HSBC Mobile Banking app. One of these fake apps is called PDF AI. It impersonates a genuine app with a similar name.
The fake apps ask for personal information like usernames or credit card details. This may be to trick you into thinking youre logging on to your banking app. Criminals could then use your information to try and steal your money.
Its up to you to make sure you keep your phone safe. Were reporting the fake apps were aware of, but criminals make new ones or change the names all the time. Protect yourself by:
Your phone companys product support team can help you if youre worried you might have installed malware through a fake app.
If you think youve been scammed, call the number on the back of your HSBC card straight away.
When high street shops close down, scammers pretend to sell off their stock.
You may see fake websites claiming to offer big discounts for retailers which have actually gone out of business.
What to look out for:
Remember to:
Find out more about purchase scams and other common scams.
If you think you've been scammed, call the number on the back of your HSBC card straight away.
Deepfake technology is an escalating cyber security threat.
This technology uses software and machine learning to make content that realistically replicates voice, mannerisms, or vocabulary. The aim is to trick you into believing that what you see or hear is authentic and trustworthy.
Criminals are investing in this type of technology to create fake celebrity endorsements, to convince customers and build credibility for fake products and services.
How to spot a deepfake:
How to stay safe:
Fraudsters may set up fake firms using the name, address, and Firm Reference Number (FRN) of real companies authorised by the FCA. The FCA refers to these as .
Fraudsters may also impersonate firms and their real employees. Once set up, these fraudsters will try to convince you that they're the real firm by sending you sales materials linking to legitimate websites or sending literature copied from legitimate firms.
The FCA advises anyone considering an investment opportunity to check the Warning List of firms. The list is updated daily and the FCA recommends avoiding unauthorised firms.
The FCA also advises to use the phone number on the FCA Register to contact an authorised firm to make sure youre dealing with the real firm.
The specific details of a firm, such as the telephone number and website address, can be verified on the .
You can protect yourself further by:
If you think you've been scammed, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card or from their website. You can report fraudulent activity directly to .
31% of 18-24 year-olds have been a victim of vehicle fraud.
In the UK, the favourite way to buy and sell vehicles is online. To help you do this safely, heres some expert advice from the Vehicle Safe Trading Advisory Group (VSTAG).
If a deposit is requested, dont pay more than youre willing to lose
A potential scam associated with deposits are up-front transportation fees. You should only pay this fee once your car has been delivered.
Does the price, condition, or mileage of the vehicle seem too good to be true? If so, perform a free valuation on Auto Trader.
If the vehicle is below market value, think twice and ask the seller questions. There may be some genuine underlying reasons why the vehicle is under-priced.
See the vehicle in person and make sure it exists before making a payment.
You can also pay by credit card for extra security.
To find out more about vehicle fraud, read our Purchase Scam Case Study and see Get Safe Onlines tips.
Fraudsters are targeting customers to gain access to banking apps on mobile phones, a senior UK fraud officer has said.
Detective Superintendent John Roch stated that the technology behind the apps is secure, but fraudsters are getting better at exploiting human behaviour:
"It's only a phone but if you take that out without the right precautions and protections around it, you are essentially walking around with a bag of cash. If you start to think of it like that, would you walk into a bar, put it down and turn your back on it? Probably not."
Fraudsters commonly shoulder surf their victims to catch them entering their PIN before stealing the phone. Victims are often unaware that someone is observing them.
Fraudsters then use the PIN to unlock the phone and try the same PIN to access banking apps.
They will also search the phone's notes section for security details or PINs.
How to stay safe:
If your phone is lost or stolen, you should:
Fraudsters may contact you claiming to be from HSBC and appear genuine.
They will claim you need to take action to protect your account because it's been compromised. They may ask you to:
Doing either of these could give a fraudster access to your money.
We will NEVER contact you and ask you to share your security details or one-time passcodes.
These codes should never be shared. They are one time use, numeric codes which are used to confirm your identity or approve genuine transactions you've made.
The codes will not initiate a refund or reverse a transaction.
If you've shared any security details, call us using the number on the back of your card and report it to .
Find out more about managing your devices registered for mobile banking.
Criminals pose as loved ones and send messages out of the blue. Sometimes, conversations start on text and move to WhatsApp.
They will:
Trading standards officers say these messages can be very convincing and plausible.
Always remain vigilant when using online platforms to talk to family or friends.
If you're not sure that someone is who they say they are, the best way to check is to call them using a phone number you know to be genuine. By speaking to them verbally, you'll know it's their voice.
If you receive a message out of the blue, remember:
Never share one-time passcodes used to check your identity.
