Financial transactions are an area subject to phishing scams, although some institutions appear to be more vulnerable than others. New research has revealed the UK banks most susceptible to phishing scams, with Halifax and Metro Bank topping the ranking. Other banks that are highly vulnerable to phishing scams include Lloyds Bank and Nationwide.
The study used Google to search for each bank’s contact details, before inputting these numbers into Who Called. The research then calculated which banks’ telephone numbers received the highest negative feedback.
‘Phishing’ occurs when cybercriminals use scam emails, text messages, or phone calls to trick their victims into handing over sensitive information. In these scams, cybercriminals pretend to be part of a trustworthy authority, such as a UK bank, but they ultimately coerce victims into revealing personal information, such as bank details and home addresses. These scams aim to trick victims into unknowingly calling one of these fake numbers, believing they are contacting their real bank. Fraudsters will then seek to obtain personal information over the phone while posing as a member of staff.
In order to determine which UK banks are most vulnerable to these types of phishing scams, the financial site CoinLedger has established a vulnerability ranking.
The UK banks most susceptible to phishing scams (in order of vulnerability):
• Halifax
• Metro Bank
• Lloyds
• Nationwide
• NatWest
• Santander
• HSBC
• Barclays
The study found that when searching for Halifax’s contact number, 47 different results appear on Google’s first two pages. According to data from Who Called, 66.7 percent of the numbers listed on the site have received negative feedback, with many reporting cases of attempted fraud. Meanwhile, 84 different numbers appear when searching for Metro Bank’s contact number.
Lloyds and Nationwide are the second most likely banks to encounter phishing scams. The research found that 31 different numbers appear when searching for Lloyds’ contact details, receiving a negative feedback rating of 60 percent based on the numbers listed on Who Called. Multiple users flagged some of these numbers as ‘dangerous,’ claiming that scammers were pretending to be from Lloyds bank and asking for customers’ bank details, date of birth, and home address.
Some 103 different numbers appear when searching for Nationwide’s contact details, with 60 percent of these receiving negative feedback on Who Called. Users on the site reported that certain numbers were impersonating Nationwide and asking for customers’ bank account numbers and sort codes. NatWest and Santander are the third most susceptible to phishing scams. A total of 112 different numbers appear when searching for NatWest’s contact details, which is the highest figure in the study. 50 percent of these numbers received negative feedback on Who Called, with people complaining of receiving repeated calls from certain numbers which then asked customers to move their funds into an unknown account.
Thirty-three different numbers appear when searching for Santander’s contact details, with 50% of these receiving negative feedback. Some users reported being contacted by an unknown number claiming to be from Santander’s fraud support team. When reaching out directly to Santander, the bank stated that they had not tried to contact the individual and flagged this as a phishing scam.
As phishing scams are becoming increasingly prevalent, it is important to:
Verify the number on your bank card
Some bank cards tend to have a copy of a contact telephone number on the bank. This should be your first port of call when getting in touch with your bank, as this is a legitimate number that has been provided by your bank. You can also find your bank’s telephone number on your bank statement.
Ensure that you’re carefully checking website addresses
If you’re trying to locate your bank’s telephone number on Google, then ensure that the number is actually sourced from your bank’s official website. Certain scammers will impersonate websites in order to promote fraudulent numbers. To avoid falling for fake websites, ensure that the website’s URL doesn’t contain any additional letters, hyphens, or spelling mistakes. For example, Lloyds’ official website is ‘Lloydsbank.com’ but certain scammers have attempted to re-create the website by using the URL ‘Lloydsbank.co.uk’ which is why it’s so important to check that the URLs match up.
Look out for adverts or promoted sites
When searching for your bank’s telephone number on Google, certain fake numbers can be displayed higher up under promoted or advertised sites. Just because a telephone number appears higher up than others, doesn’t mean that it’s legitimate. Always check that the number is being provided by your bank’s official website instead of relying on the first number to appear on Google.
Always double-check if you’re unsure
If you’ve been contacted by a number claiming to be your bank, don’t rush into any decisions, and take your time to ensure that it’s legitimate. If you’re feeling uncertain, then call the official number on your bank card to verify whether your bank has been trying to contact you. If an unknown number does call you claiming to be a member of staff, it’s always a good idea to tell them that you’re going to verify this with your bank. Certain scammers will then try to prevent you from doing this, which then verifies this as a scam call.
