Phishing, smishing, and vishing

You receive an email, text message or call claiming to be from a well-known company or organisation, such as a bank or the police.

When someone tries to scam you by email, it’s called phishing. Scam calls are known as vishing, and SMS messages as smishing.

How it could happen to you

You receive a communication that seems genuine – but it's actually a very good fake
Fraudsters and scammers can change the phone numbers, email addresses and company names that appear on your device, so you think you’re being contacted by a genuine company. This is called spoofing
They gain your trust, and trick you into revealing personal and bank details – then use them to access your account and make payments without you knowing
Fraudsters call you pretending to be us, or another company you trust, and say they’ll send a one-time passcode to confirm your identity. Really, they’re trying to use your card details to make a fraudulent payment, and know we’ll send you a code to check whether it’s genuine. When you share the code with them, they use it to authorise the payment.
Scammers trick you into paying for a product, service, or investment that doesn't exist, or make up an elaborate story to get you to send them money

How to protect yourself

Be wary of any unexpected text messages, calls and emails you get
Don't be fooled if a phone number or email address looks genuine – they can be faked
Be extra suspicious if you're asked to open a link or call a number
If you need to call the company, find a genuine number from a trusted source – for a bank this could be their website, or the back of your card
If you need to visit the company's website, don’t take it from a message or click on a link – always type in a web address you know is genuine by hand
Never reveal personal information, your PIN, PINsentry codes, mobile activation codes, QR codes, or Online Banking passcodes
Remember – if you receive an SMS message with a passcode from us, read it carefully. If it says ‘don’t share this code with anyone’, don’t share it – even with someone who says they work for us
If we call you, we’ll use app ID to send a secure notification you can view in your Barclays app. You’ll see the name of the colleague you’re speaking to, and you’ll be able to confirm you’ve got the notification so we know it’s you too

Cash machine fraud

Fraudsters continue to find new ways to pull off this con, but the outcome is still the same – distracted at an ATM, you lose sight of your card and your bank account is emptied before you realise.

Cash machine fraud

Card fraud

A fraudster gets access to your personal information or steals your credit or debit card details. This lets them spend with your card.

Card fraud

Identity fraud

Fraudsters steal personal information about you to impersonate you. They then take out loans and credit cards in your name, or withdraw cash from your bank account.

Identity fraud

Remote access fraud

Someone calls claiming to be from an organisation you trust. They say there's a problem with your computer or bank account and offer to take remote control of your computer to help fix it.

Remote access fraud

Mobile malware

Criminals sneak harmful software onto your mobile device. They hide it in apps and updates so you install it without realising. Once installed, the software can steal your personal details and passwords, then log in to your apps.

Mobile malware