Tag: bank

Stupidest Spam of the Week Amateur Scammer

The email claims to be from Maxine Snead which may be a real name but is more likely to be a random made up name.

Whoever the scammer is, they are pretty stupid as the message is full of very basic mistakes.

  1. The message shows a list of dozens of people that the message has been sent to. Experienced scammers hide this list by using the “BCC” line rather than the “To” line when sending.
  2. The message is about an account balance claimed to belong to me and it contains a figure which is supposedly the value of the balance. However the programming code used to add in a random number to represent the balance shows in the message rather than just the intended number.
  3. There are two instances that are intended to show the same balance value but the code is different hence the values shown would be different.
  4. The message says “Please get your money” – not exactly official bank language.
  5. There is no attempt to make the message look professional and it starts with “Hi” rather than a formal greeting.

Ridiculous message from a scammer who doesn’t understand how to make the programming code insert values.

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Santander Security Advice

Like the other big banks, Santander do offer advice to their customers on how to avoid the scourge of online fraud.

https://www.santander.co.uk/uk/help-support/security-centre/keeping-yourself-secure

Santander say “We take every step possible to keep your finances and personal details safe. However, you play an important role too. Together we can make life really difficult for would-be criminals”.

There is a list of common threats and a basic description of each and tips on staying safe online.

The common threats Santander focus on are:-

  • Remote Access Scam
  • Tech support scams
  • Telephone scam/courier scam
  • Free trial offer scam
  • Guide to Invoice Fraud
  • Text message phishing (smishing)
  • Phishing
  • Mule accounts
  • Cheque fraud
  • Investment fraud / share sale
  • 419 / advance fee fraud
  • Trojans (Malware)
  • Spoofing – The caller ID scam
  • Pension scams

If you’re a Santander customer, you can ask them for specific advice about staying safe online and if you find irregularities in your account then do let them know ASAP.

If you have any experiences with scammers, spammers or time-waster do let me know, by email.

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