West Mercia police in bank fraud letter warning
Police are urging customers of Lloyds Bank to be on the lookout for a new sophisticated fraud involving fake bank letters.
West Mercia Police say the convincing letters being sent are a replica template from Lloyds and include their logo, address and signature from a customer service representative.
The letter tells recipients that there have been some "unusual transactions" on their personal account and asks them to call a number highlighted in bold to confirm they are genuine.
Police said when victims call the number, an automated welcome message is played and the caller is asked to enter their card number, account number and sort code followed by their date of birth. Victims are then instructed to enter the first and last digit of their security number.
The fraud was spotted by a national newspaper which was alerted to it by a reader who had three identical letters sent to an office address.
On separate occasions the newspaper ran some tests using fake details and were passed to fraudsters who claimed to be from a Lloyds contact centre. The bank has confirmed that the phone number and letters are fake.
A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: "The letters are essentially a sophisticated phishing attempt and serves as a warning to consumers to question written correspondence from their banks." "If you are ever suspicious about correspondence from your bank you should call the customer serviced number on the back of their card."
To report a fraud and cyber crime, call West Mercia Police on 0300 123 2040.
