So apparently there's a really bad text message scam going around and some people have been getting their bank accounts emptied as a result of it.
So if you're the type of person who replies to emails claiming you've received a big inheritance, or to dodgy letters saying you've won the lottery in East Asia - then you should listen up to avoid being stung.
This how it goes: first up you receive a text reportedly from your bank (though this is actually bullshit) - it tells you that there's been suspicious activity on your account.
It's pretty clever though, because if you've saved your bank's number in your phone, it will look like it's come from that number. So at this point you'll start getting really worried and you'll start giving away info you shouldn't be.
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Watch the scam explained on This Morning...
Credit: ITV / This Morning
The message says your debit card was recently used and names a store and the amount spent. It then tells you to call a "fraud prevention" number if it's a transaction you do not recognise.
If you click on the number to call, then the person at the other end of the phone will discuss your bank account details with you - only it's not your bank, it's actually some fraudster looking to rob you of everything you've got.
Give them enough details and the end result of the call will be the fraudster accessing your account and draining the funds.
People have actually been seriously fucked over by this shit, take Claire Pearson who watched as over £71,000 - an inheritance from her father who passed away last year - was stolen from her account.
Credit: ITV / This Morning
Speaking on This Morning, she said: "I received the text, but this wasn't unusual as I've had messages from them before. It said there had been suspicious activity on my account, asked 'do you recognise this transaction?', if not call this number.
"I clicked the number and it called through, and the call went on for 30 minutes. The man I spoke to was lovely, we built up a rapport and he said they would send me a new card in three days."
After the call ended, Claire became worried, so decided to call her bank - but in the time she was on hold she got her account emptied. Shit.
And it even looks like Claire looks like she will lose all the money that was taken from her as Santander has declined her fraud claim, saying she had provided the third party access to her account.
Credit: ITV / This Morning
On This Morning, consumer expert Harry Wallop said: "This text message scamming is known as shmishing and it is the new phishing.
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"This is so sophisticated - they are spoofing a mobile number, with a message coming in to a string of legitimate texts you've already got from your bank.
"Alarm bells shouldn't necessarily have rung when the text come through - but you should always call the number on the back of your bank card, not a number in a text message. The number on the message was a fake number.
"The second alarm bell should have rung when they asked for your password - an official bank call will NEVER ask for your password or security codes in full."
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Stay woke guys, don't give your details out to anybody.
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