10% of people ‘may trust caller claiming to be bank if they sound professional’

Around one in seven (15%) people have provided personal information to someone before realising they were not genuine, a survey indicates.

A fifth (19%) of people said they would be likely to call back an unknown number, according to the research for Nationwide Building Society, potentially putting themselves at risk.

When asked what would make them trust an unexpected caller claiming to be from their banking provider, 10% cited “sounding professional”.

Some 14% opted for the caller knowing their full name while 13% said the caller knowing their date of birth – information that criminals could have gained from elsewhere.

Nationwide said its data indicates the average impersonation scam loss is nearly £2,200.

Annya Burskys, head of fraud operations at Nationwide, said: “Scammers are increasingly sophisticated at making unexpected calls, texts and emails appear genuine.

“They may disguise a call as coming from a trusted organisation, use personal details to gain your trust or pressure you to act quickly.

“Many scams are connected. Criminals may first obtain information about you through a fraudulent website, phishing email or text message.

“They can then use those details to make future impersonation scams appear much more convincing.

“They may also tell you what to say if your banking provider questions a payment, claiming it will speed things up. In reality, the more your banking provider knows, the better it can support and protect you.”

Actress Lisa Riley, who is involved in Nationwide’s awareness drive, said: “I provided personal information to what I believed was a genuine travel permit website. I’d completed the process many times before, so there was nothing that immediately raised alarm bells.

“That’s what frightened me most. The website looked completely legitimate and I genuinely believed I was doing the right thing.

“What that experience taught me is that criminals are incredibly clever and convincing.”

The survey was carried out by Censuswide among 2,000 people across the UK in September.