A call that appears to come from your bank may hide a scam. But how do you know if you are dealing with a fraudster? A few well-chosen questions may be enough to unmask him…
Telephone scams are unfortunately not uncommon. All it takes is for someone to call you pretending to be your bank, mentioning a hacked account or a suspicious transaction… And everything is done to push you to react without thinking. In this type of situation, the best reflex is to regain control by asking a few simple questions which can destabilize the scammers.
It’s interesting to watch the scammers’ tone change when you ask them questions. Fraudsters often follow a specific script and if you look for information you will find that their attitude can change. They may suddenly speak more nervously or at a faster rate of speech, or even become annoyed. Which is not supposed to happen if the banker is indeed one…
Moreover, scammers use urgency as a pretext. They often talk about fraud in progress and an immediate decision to be made. This pressure is supposed to scare you in order to push you to make rash or even irrational decisions, whereas a serious bank takes the time to explain and can even offer to come to an agency to talk about it more calmly.
It is therefore useful to ask two questions to ensure the good faith (or not) of your interlocutor, as the Ancre Relationnelle Instagram account tells us. For example, you can very calmly ask which agency they are calling you from exactly. A real advisor knows his location, sometimes even his precise service. On the contrary, an impostor often remains vague and mentions a “central service” or “headquarters” without adding details. But remember that a bank never calls from an unclear place and there is always an identifiable agency behind the call.
You can also ask which banking product (for example PEL or PEA) you have with them. A professional sees this information on the screen and can mention the account type or certain elements without asking for your codes. As for the scammer, he will be rather vague, mentioning “your account”, “your card” or even “your file”. If it is not precise enough, be alerted…
Finally, it is very important to remember to never communicate code! You should also not hesitate to end the conversation and say that you will call back. These few seconds of hindsight can save you a lot of problems and protect your finances!
