23rd July 2026
There have been recent reports of scam phone calls impersonating banks, where the caller tries to convince customers to move money to a 'safe account'. They usually say there has been suspicious activity on your account, or that your account has been compromised.
In one case, a man was told by a cold caller posing as bank staff that almost £150 had been deducted from his card, supposedly to purchase a train ticket to London.
The caller said his bank account had been compromised and that he would need to transfer the remaining money immediately to a 'safe' account.
He grew suspicious before transferring the money and contacted his bank, who confirmed that the call had not been genuine.
There have also been several cases where scammers posing as bank staff ask people to download software to their phone or computer to allow the caller to check their online accounts.
How to Avoid
Your bank will never cold call and ask you to move money to another account.
Be suspicious of any unexpected phone call or text message which appears to be from your bank, particularly from a 'fraud department', and asks you to act urgently to avoid losing money.
Never give any personal or banking details to a cold caller, even if they appear to know some of your details already.
If you receive an unexpected call or message from your bank and are unsure if it is legitimate, hang up, clear the line and contact your bank using their official number (found on the back of your card, a statement or on their website)
Never follow instructions from an unsolicited caller to download an app or software which would allow them to access your computer or mobile phone remotely.
If a scammer has been able to access your mobile phone, you can turn flight mode on via Settings to ensure they cannot continue to control it.
Find out More
Police Scotland advice on bank fraud: www.scotland.police.uk/advice-and-information/scams-and-frauds/other-electronic-fraud-types/#safe
ScamShare Spotlight PDF on bank scams: www.tsscot.co.uk/spotlight-bank
ScamShare Spotlight PDF on remote access scams: www.tsscot.co.uk/Spotlight-RemoteAccess.pdf