Telephone fraud is becoming increasingly common. Sometimes fraudsters try to trick you into divulging personal and confidential information, including bank account details, over the phone. This is known as ‘Vishing’. The fraudulent text message equivalent to this is known as ‘Smishing’. Fraudsters may claim to be from a reputable organisation or claim that your account has been compromised and that action is required. We will never ask you to transfer money to a new account so ignore such calls or texts. When in doubt about the legitimacy of a call or text claiming to be from Blackthorn, report it and do not act on it unless confirmed to be genuine.
What to look out for and how to stay safe
Criminals who have called your landline can stay on the line for up to 5 minutes, even after you have hung up. Wait at least 10 minutes after hanging up. Then, to ensure that the fraudsters have disconnected, call someone you know before using the phone again or use a different line to report the incident to the Bank.
Sometimes fraudsters make phone calls, claiming to be from a reputable IT organisation, to offer assistance. Never allow a cold caller to take remote access of your computer.
Never respond to suspicious text messages or click on links contained within. These links may lead to malicious content. Send a screenshot of the suspicious text to fraud@blackthorn.finance and then delete it.
Please note, that we, the Police or any other genuine organisation will never ask for your help in investigating crime. If you are contacted with a similar request, please end the call immediately and call us to inform us of the suspicious call.