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Just received an email purporting to be from HSBC stating there have been numerous attempts over the last few days to access my online account from blacklisted IP addresses. The email asks me to click onto a link (which I haven't done.)
Only problem is, I do not and never have, had an account with HSBC???
delete button
What gave it away?
You only suspect it's a scam?
I don't mean to sound rude, but are you new to the internet?
There are tons of scams like this
You suspect correctly, I get loads of these at work from all sorts of organisations I don't have accounts with.
Welcome to the internet.
Please enter your card number, expiry date and three digit security code to complete your internet registration.
It is very rare for any bank to contact you by email to ask you to access your account, even the ones you do have accounts with.
Best advice if you're not sure is to log in to your account USING YOUR NORMAL SHORTCUT, NOT THE ONE IN THE EMAIL.
If there's a genuine issue it flag when you log on. Best advice is never click any link in an email you're not sure of. Ideal you don't want to even open a suspect email, if you're running an older mail program they can sometimes automatically download pictures if it's an HTML email. at the very least this tells the spammers they have a live email account.
No it's genuine you just forgot who you bank with. Click on it and enter your username and password.
Hovering over the link should show up the url - and it's never actually that of the bank in question.
Unsolicited email 101:
If it looks like a scam, it probably is.
If it doesn't look like a scam, it probably is.
LOL! I also get around 1 a month from 'HSBC' and no, I've never had an account with them either....
I've had most banks contact me telling me my account (I don't have) is frozen blah blah blah.
Worryingly most using the email address I only use on this site....
There was a paypal one that was very very good one day about my accoutn being suspended. I might have got caught out if I hand;t actually been using Paypal at the time.
If in doubt always go to the banks website and log in that way.
The funniest one I received recently was from the IPA (International Police Authority) saying they had in their custody a diplomatic ladyby (sic) who was found in possession of a shoe box containing £5m. On questioning she explained she had been asked to deliver the box to me and was not aware it contained money.
Must be a big shoe box to hold that much cash!
I used to click on the link and type in random numbers for the account details on the basis that if everyone did that these Nigerians (mostly) would give up.
Not advisable though due to the risk of spyware infection 👿