London - Young adults are likelier to fall foul of bank fraudsters than their parents, a study says.
They might be tech-savvy, but under-25s are much easier to fool when conmen try tricks such as ‘vishing’, where personal details are obtained over the phone.
Research found one person in six between 18 and 25 would hand over details to transfer money into a ‘safe’ account, if told it was to investigate a security breach. This fell to just one in ten people aged 25 to 44, while over-45s were even more alert, says a survey of 2000 adults for the banking industry trade association, the BBA.
Those aged 45 to 54 were wariest, with one in 17 saying they would back a transfer, followed by just one in 14 among the over-55s.Fiona McEvoy, at the BBA, said: “It will surprise many to learn that younger people could be more vulnerable to the tactics of fraudsters than their grandparents.”
To avoid being scammed the BBA says we should be aware of the language fraudsters use. For example, customers would never be asked to move money into a ‘safe account’.
More than 200 000 fraud offences were reported in the year to March 2014.
Daily Mail