Common scams

Some fraudsters will claim to be from your bank or credit card company and arrange for a courier to collect your card. They may also ask you to write down your PIN and hand that over as well. To add credibility the fraudster may even advise you to cut the card in half.

Remember:

So that we can get in touch if any suspicious activity seems to be taking place on your account, please provide HSBC with up to date contact details including a mobile telephone number.

Pension liberation involves transferring pension funds from an existing scheme to a new one, to allow early access to benefits before the legal age of 55.

Fraudsters typically target people under financial pressure and will sometimes claim that they can unlock some or all of their pension fund for a fee, which can be very high and may result in serious tax consequences. Be alert to offers like this and if in doubt, seek advice from registered pension providers.

Rental scams happens when would-be tenants are tricked into paying an up-front fee to rent or view a property. In reality, the property doesn't exist, has already been rented out, or has been rented to multiple victims at the same time. Rental scams often target people in urgent need of accommodation, such as first-time renters, or market areas where there's a lot of demand for rental property.

• Don't send money to anyone advertising rental properties online until you're certain the advertiser is genuine. Always look for multiple, positive reviews and use a reputable letting agent to help you
• If you need to secure accommodation from overseas, seek the help of the employer or university you're going to, or get a friend, contact or relative to check the property exists and is available
• Don't pay any money until you or a reliable contact has visited the property with an agent or the landlord
• Ask for a copy of the tenancy agreement and the full name of the person or company the agreement is with, and verify the validity of the lease directly with them
• Don't be pressured into paying a deposit or to pay rent up-front. Be sceptical if you’re asked to make a payment using a money transfer service like Western Union

Scammers can hack a genuine email account and send correspondence from a trusted and recognised email address. However, they change the beneficiary bank account details to a scam account in order to steal your money. They often use excuses, such as their account has been temporarily blocked, or that they're in the process of changing accounts to accept payments.

• If you receive an email with new beneficiary account details - stop and verify the details using a trusted and verified phone number before making a payment
• Don't be pressured into making a payment, even if you're threatened with legal action, or that you'll lose the item you're purchasing
• Ask yourself why you're being asked to make a payment to an individual you've never dealt with before, or why a company account isn’t being used. Also consider if the bank account is in the country or area of the business you're dealing with. You can check this by verifying the sort code - this will tell you the bank and branch the payment is being made to

A money mule is a person who knowingly or unknowingly transfers the proceeds of financial crime through their bank account. Criminals offer a cash reward to people who facilitate payments through their bank account to help disguise the true origins of the money.

You may be approached online or in person, offering what appears to be a genuine job, or an offer to take part in a get-rich-quick scheme. However, you'll be asked to disclose your online banking details, PIN numbers and passwords, and to hand over your debit card so that they can access your bank accounts. Once you become a money mule, it can be hard to stop as you can be attacked or threatened with violence, if you don’t continue to help.

• Be wary of strangers contacting you on social media or offering you the ability to make a lot of money quickly, with no questions asked
• You'll be told it's a safe and risk free way of making money. However, you can end up with a criminal record, going to jail, or the possibility of never being able to have a bank account or take out lending in the future
• Never disclose your bank account details, PIN numbers or passwords, or give your debit or credit cards to anyone
• Be wary of offers of easy money as there'll always be a catch to this. You don't want to be in a position where you, your friends or family could be at risk from a criminal gang

With this type of scam, you get a call, email or text message claiming to be from the HSBC fraud team or another bank department. Fraudsters might also pretend to be from other financial organisations, your telecoms or utility provider, or even the police. 

They say there have been fraudulent transactions on your account and tell you to protect your money by transferring it to a safe account. In most cases the money goes to another bank and sometimes to different accounts. 

The criminals will often warn that bank employees are part of the fraud and coach you not to trust them.

Being asked to lie to the bank about the reason for making a payment is a clear warning sign of a scam.

HSBC will never ask you to move money. If somebody is asking you to move money, it's a scam.

Criminals pose as loved ones and send messages out of the blue. Sometimes, conversations start on text claiming that they have a new number and to delete the old one.

They will:

• Pretend to be a loved one, often children, asking for money urgently due to an emergency
• Pretend to be someone you know and ask you to save their new contact number, so when they message you to send money a few days later, it seems more realistic as it’s from a ‘known contact’

Trading standards officers say these messages can be very convincing and plausible.

Always remain vigilant when using online platforms to talk to family or friends.

If you're not sure that someone is who they say they are, the best way to check is to call them using a phone number you know to be genuine. By speaking to them verbally, you'll know it's their voice.

If you receive a message out of the blue, remember:

• Don't reply
• Delete the message

Beware of unexpected calls offering too-good-to-be-true investment opportunities. Fraudsters are known to sell worthless, overpriced or even non-existent shares. These can take many forms, but there are some common factors you should look out for, including:

Unfortunately, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.