Bank account scam emails

[Coldicote]

Scam emails have featured on AB before, but they are particularly bad again just now. I've had about a dozen in the past week telling me for some obscure reason my bank account has been suspended, and asking me to click a link and complete some details to reactivate my account. Not likely!! Are other readers being plagued in this way? What indications are there (if any) that emails are fraudulent and is there anything else one can usefully do but delete them?

[factor-fiction]

If you don't have an account with them, it's a scam!
If it's badly written, it's a scam.
Unless the email specifically mentions your name, it will be a scam. Hover over any link and you will find some obscure overseas website address.
You can report them to one of several sites but I no longer bother I'm afraid

[The-HouseHusband]

Check with your bank and local police force.

Many are now offering an email address for you to forward the spam Emails to in the hope of being able to get some leads on the people behind them.

[boxtops]

Yes, I've had loads from HSBC this week (and I don't have an account with them). I report them to the banks' phishing sites.

[boxtops]

^^ and one I had today asked me to download a verification document. Yeah, right.

[factor-fiction]

You may be right,THH, but I'd be surprised if the police would be interested. I would have thought that while the linked sites can be closed down pretty quickly I doubt they catch many scammers as they will be pretty untraceable

[Buenchico]

If you're receiving your mail via a client program (such as Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Live Mail or Thunderbird), rather than by using a web-based system, you can install Mailwasher to help prevent all types of spam from being downloaded to your computer:
http://www.mailwasher.net/

Further, by clicking on File > Properties > Details > Message Source (in Outlook Express - it's probably similar with other email clients) you can look through the headers to see where the mail really came from.

Also remember that:
(a) many (most?) banks don't know the email addresses of their customers (so they can't possibly send emails to them) ; and
(b) any legitimate email will start with something like "Dear Mr Coldicote" and not with "Dear Customer".

Chris

[jomifl]

My bank told me that genuine correspondence will always have your name and possibly partof the account no. If not it is fraudulent.

[boxtops]

I only ever go into my genuine bank by logging in via the website - never by links in emails.

[AlBags]

Just delete them.
They'll most likely never catch these people.

[Maydup]

Agree with Albags. Don't open them and don't bother to forward them to anyone otherwise you give the sender confirmation that your email address is valid.

[Coldicote]

A lot of good advice here, thank you. I had noticed that emails didn't address me by name. One can get used to these wretched things, though I feel some concern for beginners who may have very little experience of the internet. Chris makes an interesting point about looking through the headers to see where emails really come from. Pity there doesn't seem to be a 'service' one can then refer them to - or is there?

[joko]

no bank would ever ask you do to this...

[factor-fiction]

Hi coldicote- there is an address you can forward these to.
There is this one:
http://www.millersmiles.co.uk/submit.php
Or most banks have an address, usually beginning spoof@... or suspicious emails@...

[Coldicote]

Thanks factor. I hadn't known about that one.

[classylady60]

I've never given my bank my email address therefore they can't contact me this way so IF any were to come in from them I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. I never open any emails unless I know the person or as a reply from a business I've been in touch with. Better safe than sorry I feel.