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08/11/2018
Ulster Bank Staff Foil £20K Customer Scam
Staff at Ulster Bank have been praised for stopping a customer being defrauded of £20,000.
They noticed a woman trying to transfer the money from her own account, after being called by a fraudster claiming to be from BT.
No money was lost in this attempt and the victim was advised to change her passwords.
The police have condemned the act as a "cowardly and intrusive sort of manipulation we see on an infuriatingly regular basis", in a post on their Craigavon Facebook page.
The woman had received a call from the scammers informing her of internet connection issues in her area, and she had, coincidentally, noticed her wifi speed was slower than normal.
After agreeing that she wanted the issue resolved, she was contacted again and told someone was trying to funnel money from her account.
The fraudsters then convinced her to download an app which they used to access her device, her email and her online bank accounts.
The victim was advised that money had to be transferred to a different account to assist the National Crime Agency on the matter, and was told she would be rewarded with £500 for doing so.
The woman was then convinced to walk to the Ulster Bank in Lurgan to complete the transaction and tell banking staff the money was for "home improvements".
Staff immediately became suspicious and alerted Scamwise NI, a joint campaign by the PSNI, the Department of Justice and the Policing Board.
PSNI Chief Inspector Jon Burrows later tweeted: "A big thank you to staff at Ulster Bank in Lurgan who spotted the signs of a customer being defrauded into transferring £20,000 to a scammer.
"Following their call we attended the bank promptly and together persuaded the victim to stop the transaction. Criminal investigation underway."
(JG)
They noticed a woman trying to transfer the money from her own account, after being called by a fraudster claiming to be from BT.
No money was lost in this attempt and the victim was advised to change her passwords.
The police have condemned the act as a "cowardly and intrusive sort of manipulation we see on an infuriatingly regular basis", in a post on their Craigavon Facebook page.
The woman had received a call from the scammers informing her of internet connection issues in her area, and she had, coincidentally, noticed her wifi speed was slower than normal.
After agreeing that she wanted the issue resolved, she was contacted again and told someone was trying to funnel money from her account.
The fraudsters then convinced her to download an app which they used to access her device, her email and her online bank accounts.
The victim was advised that money had to be transferred to a different account to assist the National Crime Agency on the matter, and was told she would be rewarded with £500 for doing so.
The woman was then convinced to walk to the Ulster Bank in Lurgan to complete the transaction and tell banking staff the money was for "home improvements".
Staff immediately became suspicious and alerted Scamwise NI, a joint campaign by the PSNI, the Department of Justice and the Policing Board.
PSNI Chief Inspector Jon Burrows later tweeted: "A big thank you to staff at Ulster Bank in Lurgan who spotted the signs of a customer being defrauded into transferring £20,000 to a scammer.
"Following their call we attended the bank promptly and together persuaded the victim to stop the transaction. Criminal investigation underway."
(JG)
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