Phone Scam from City of London Police

A repeatedly shared post on Facebook has claimed that City Of London Police are warning people about a scam claiming to involve banks and mobile network operators.

The text on the post reads:

“Straight from the City of London Police fraud team - Extremely sophisticated scam going about this week, involving all banks. You get a message saying a payment hasn’t been taken e.g O2, Vodafone, 3, Giff Gaff or EE and to click here. As soon as you touch it your money is gone. They already have all your details and it’s the most advance scam the bank has ever seen. Pass this on to everyone please. This is straight from work this morning - the banks are being inundated with calls - thousands flying out of peoples accounts! Spread the word to your family and friends!”

This is not a real scam. Action Fraud (which is run by the City of London Police) posted in March about an almost identically worded post, stating that the content of the message was false and that City of London Police hadn’t issued any such alert.

However, phishing scams are a real problem, and you should never give out personal details, such as passwords or pins, over the phone. If you believe you have shared personal details with a fraudster, immediately contact your bank.