What was claimed
City of London Police and Martin Lewis are warning people about a scam involving banks and mobile networks.
Our verdict
This is incorrect. They have not been warning about this specific scam.
Martin Lewis and City of London Police have not warned about a scam involving banks and mobile networks
20 November 2020
A repeatedly shared post on Facebook has claimed that City of London Police are warning people about a scam claiming to involve banks and mobile network operators that’s been warned about on Martin Lewis’s show.
The post text reads:
‘Straight from the City of London Police fraud team - Extremely sophisticated scam going about this week, involving all banks. You get a message saying a payment hasn’t been taken e.g O2, Vodafone, 3, Giff Gaff or EE and to click here. As soon as you touch it your money is gone. They already have all your details and it’s the most advance scam the bank has ever seen. Pass this on to everyone please. This is straight from work this morning - the banks are being inundated with calls - thousands flying out of peoples accounts! Spread the word to your family and friends!”
Be vigilant !!!!
As confirmed by Martin Lewis this morning!”
This is incorrect.
We’ve written about this scam before. Action Fraud, who are part of City of London Police, have repeatedly stated that this isn’t a real warning.
Martin Lewis has also said on Facebook that he has never warned about such a crime.
However, phishing scams are a real problem, and you should never give out personal details, such as passwords or pins, over the phone. If you believe you have shared personal details with a fraudster, immediately contact your bank.