JERSEY’S financial crime unit is investigating after fraudsters posing as HSBC scammed 68 victims out of more than £2 million.
Investigators, the States police and HSBC are now warning Islanders to remain vigilant and not to provide personal security information over the phone.
The JEP first reported on the scam in January, when the police said they had received 14 reports in one week of fraudsters claiming to be from high-street banks.
In 2023, a total of £624,000 was lost to these scams where fraudsters pretend to be a legitimate company and change their number to that company’s in order to seem convincing (known as “spoofing”).
In a statement sent to the JEP, the Joint Financial Crimes Unit has now said it is reviewing a series of similar frauds where the suspects have claimed to be calling from the HSBC fraud department to gain personal information from the victims and access to their online banking.
JFCU said they were aware of 68 victims with a total loss of more than £2m stolen and transferred to more than 100 different bank accounts across the UK.
One lawyer, who has been living in Jersey for several years, said she was “distraught” at losing £13,000 to the scam back in November.
She said that HSBC had called several times – the first time, to notify her that they were cancelling her card due to suspicious activity. The scammers, pretending to be HSBC, quoted her personal information and login details.
Speaking to the JEP, she said: “I was trying to save money to help my family back home when this happened to me.
“You move to a first-world country and you think you’ll be safe, that the banks would have insurances to cover fraud, so it was shocking that I lost everything I had saved. I’m always very careful about this sort of thing.
“It happened just after I had paid all that month’s bills, so I didn’t have money for rent or food. I had to ask friends and family to help me out. I had nothing, and I was in a very dark spot.”
She added that HSBC had not been helpful.
She continued: “I received no sympathy from the bank or anyone on the Island after this invasion of one’s privacy and security.
“I am still fighting with the bank to get an update over three months later.
“It’s taken a heavy toll on my mental health, and I don’t think I’m going to get that money back, but I’d appreciate it if someone told me whether I will or not and then I could move on.”
JFCU financial investigator Faith Shalamon said: “Never provide online banking passwords, one-time security codes, pins or tokens to anyone over the phone.
“Contact your bank or financial institution immediately, using your banking app or a phone number you have sourced yourself, if you have concerns about the security of your bank account.”
A spokesperson for HSBC said: “Protecting customers from scams and fraudsters is a priority for us.
“Our advice to customers if they receive a suspicious call, is to not provide personal security information including security codes, hang up and call HSBC using the number on their card for assistance.
“HSBC will never ask customers to disclose security information including passwords and codes. Do not click or reply to a message stating it is from HSBC.”
