OFT warns on bank charge fraudsters
September 27, 2007
The Office of Fair Trading has issued a warning to consumers in the UK, asking them to be vigilant with regards to anyone asking for their bank account information in connection with helping them to reclaim bank charges.
The warning comes after it came to light that a number of fraudsters have been posing as officials from the Office of Fair Trading, and have been obtaining bank account details from vulnerable consumers by pretending that they need these details to help them to reclaim bank charges. The fraudsters are making contact with consumers by phone, and some consumers have already been fooled into giving out their details, which the fraudsters then go on to use to obtain money, run up bills, can carry out fraudulent activity.
The Office of Fair Trading has been heavily involved in the row over bank charges, which erupted last year following claims that the charges were unlawful and unfair. It is therefore not surprising that many consumers have believed the fraudsters when they have called and claimed to be from the OFT. However, officials from the Office of Fair Trading have stated that they would never ask consumers for bank account details, so any such request from parties claiming to be from the agency should be treated with suspicion.
The Office of Fair Trading has also warned consumers in the UK to ensure that they do not give out their bank account details or credit card details in response to any other call that they receive where the call was not initiated by themselves. Details such as these should also not be provided in response to emails or input into the bank website if the consumers has linked into the site via an email. Many fraudsters are now using such elaborate scams, known as phishing, to unlawfully obtain consumers’ bank account and card details.
Alan Wright
27th September 2007
Recent additions:
- Impressive growth for BT Broadband
- Sky may offer stand alone broadband
- Drop in insolvencies during second quarter
- Possible lower debts with store cards
- Interest rate stays on hold for now
Related Articles
- Shared ownership could be the right move for many FTBs As a result of rising interest rates and soaring house prices many first time buyers in the UK have been struggling when it comes to
- Customers must reassess home and contents insurance needs Consumers in the UK are constantly being urged to bear in mind the importance of having adequate home and contents insurance cover in place, and
- Consumers urged to look around for right broadband deal for their needs The tough competition between today’s broadband providers in the UK has led to many Internet Service Providers trying to beat the competition through offering a
- Wales has lower student debts Student debts in Wales are significantly lower than student debts in England according to recent figures. Many students get themselves into high levels of debt
- Northern Rock sees mass of withdrawals Troubles bank Northern Rock has seen a stampede of customers flock to its branches over the past few days, with worried savers desperate to clean
Comments
Got something to say?