Nearly caught out by Barclays Scam

As the editor of this newsletter and webmaster for the CRA website, I think of myself as pretty clued up about scams. But I was close to falling for one, and would like to share why.

A text message arrived while I was away from home. The message showed on my iPhone as being from Barclays, rather than from a mobile number. When looking at the message it appeared under other genuine messages I have received from Barclays when making purchases as they sometimes send a 6 digit code to confirm.

You can see the messages in the image on the right. Click to enlarge.

The message was a typical “Declined transaction … was this really you” and for a reasonable amount, but clearly one that I hadn’t made. There was a number to call and a reference.

So it really looked like it came from Barclays. And I was just about to call it … but the danger sense kicked in and I waited until getting home. A google search of the number (just type it in) returns lots of DANGER indications, and indeed it is a scam.

So even though this message appeared on my phone alongside genuine Barclays text messages, it had been spoofed and calling the number could have resulted in my giving over confidential information.

Always take your time and don’t trust phone numbers or links that have been sent to you.