Santander issues warning after woman loses nearly £900 to scammers

Santander have warned customers after a surge in HMRC scams which saw one woman conned out of almost £900.

Fraudsters pretending to be the government have been tricking people into transferring money into different accounts.

Through email, text, phone call and WhatsApp, scammers have been impersonating the government to earn trust with their victims before gaining sensitive details and money, reports Wales Online.

Victims are told they owe money or are due a tax rebate and that personal details are required, by fraudsters posing as HMCR.

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Santander have warned customers to be vigilant, with Chris Ainsley, head of fraud control at Santander UK, adding: "By taking on the persona of the HMRC, criminals are trying to intimidate their victims by impersonating an institution that most of us recognise and trust.

"With the February extension to the self-assessment deadline fast approaching, we expect to see a significant increase in HMRC scams over the coming weeks.

"Don’t let criminals get away with it. Always check with HMRC directly before acting."

The bank gave an example of a woman, known only as Miss B, who lost £849 due to one of these scams.

She received a call from an unknown number but went online to see that it belonged to the local courthouse.

Miss B then received a second call from the same number, who said they were urgently chasing an outstanding debt of £849 from HMRC or risk arrest.

She followed the fraudster's instructions and made the payment, but Miss B then received a WhatsApp message from the same number asking for her passport and driving licence details to finalise the payment.

Bank details were then requested which