HSBC scam warning as Britons told ‘new device’ is accessing their bank account

HSBC is a trusted name for many savers across the UK, but it is currently being used by cybercriminals in a simple yet sophisticated scam. The scam can slightly vary to try to trick savers who have perhaps received this type of correspondence in the past. The most popular form of this scam has been reported several times via social media in the last few hours.

In fact, it is simply a technique which is being deployed by cybercriminals as a way of stealing Britons’ information.

The website individuals are redirected to is an elaborate ruse which allows fraudsters to directly harvest their details once these are inputted.

The cybercriminals can then use this information for unscrupulous purposes such as identity fraud.

This could understandably be devastating for those who fall victim, with many reports of people losing hundreds or even thousands of pounds to this kind of scam.

HSBC has confirmed this particular text is a scam, and has offered its guidance to customers.

It said: “Scammers often send fake text messages that look like they’ve come from your bank, or another trusted organisation.

“Their goal is to get you to reply with your personal or financial information.”

The hallmark signs of a scam are varied, but Britons can keep an eye out to protect themselves.

Typically, HSBC states, scam texts encourage individuals to take urgent action, to verify a new payee or device, and often look similar to real messages.

Sometimes they can even show up in the same thread as genuine messages received from a bank.

This is a process known as “number spoofing” which can make a scam harder to identify.

As a result, if someone receives a text which they believe to be suspicious, they should never click any links or reply to the message.

Instead, this can be reported to HSBC and indeed a person’s mobile operator by forwarding the message to 7726 free of charge.

For those who want to check if a message is genuine, HSBC has advised contacting the organisation using the telephone number on the back of a person’s bank card. 

One eagle eyed saver pointed out the scam on social media, saying: “Warning - new scam alert.

“Just had this through as a text so please be aware especially if you bank with HSBC.”

However, others were slightly unsure, which shows how genuine the texts appear.

Another asked the bank: “I’ve just received this text message. Please advise if this is a scam. Urgent. Thank you.”