Lloyds Bank Scam Texts Are On The Increase

Scam text messages claiming to be from Lloyds Bank are on the rise

I daresay that anyone reading this has likely received some form of scam communication. I would think anyone with a free e-mail address almost certainly has. Like the Nigerian Prince scandals which hit hard in the 90’s, scammers are always working on new ways to part you with your hard-earned money.

In a report via Metro, one of the latest high-profile incidents is text messages purporting to be from Lloyds Bank. In them, they inform you that your account has been compromised. It, of course, hasn’t, but if you’re not careful, it could soon be.

How does the scam work?

The scam text message, as above, purports to be from Lloyds bank. In it, they try the age-old method of suggesting that there has been ‘unusual’ activity on your account. The word ‘unusual’ is enough to make most of us clench our bottoms, particularly when it comes to our banks.

If you get this text message from Lloyd's Bank it's a scam. (BTW: I don't have an account with them.) pic.twitter.com/ybZspoWa2w

— Matthew Smith (@indigojo_uk) April 23, 2018

The text message then contains a link, which is not Lloyds bank. It is, however, smart enough to not give out a completely dodgy looking e-mail. Instead, they give an IP address which many could potentially fall for. Upon accessing that link, you are asked to enter your bank details and all manner of sensitive information. Once done, it tells you that everything’s fine and usually gives you a link to the official website. By doing this, it makes everything seem legitimate.

What should I do?

Lloyds do have a dedicated e-mail address to report scams (emailscams@lloydsbanking.com) and welcome any reports to it. The short answer though is to delete it and make any friends or family members aware. Needless to say that it’s incredibly unlikely that your bank would ever contact you by text message unless you have a balance/transaction notification set-up. On a side note though, I have taken to asking my bank and companies (when they contact me by phone) to confirm their identity. I do find it ironic that they call you out the blue and then ask you to identify yourself.

This scam will undoubtedly find some victims, but we should all work to try and keep everyone informed and these incidents to an absolute minimum.