25% of UK adults at risk of vishing

The body had seen an overall increase of GBP 36 million over the past year in crimes involving online and phone banking, purchases made online and over the phone, and criminals filling out fraudulent applications.

According to estimates, at least GBP 7 million worth may be attributed to a particular type of scam, called ‘vishing’, in which they are tricked into revealing personal details to fraudsters claiming to be from a legitimate body (their bank or the police). Fraudsters attempt to obtain financial information which often includes credit/debit card details (including PIN), bank account details and personal information such as full name, date of birth or address.

Almost a quarter of people in the UK (23 percent) have received a cold call requesting personal or financial information, potentially putting them at risk of becoming a victim of vishing. Four in ten people (39 percent) admitted they found it challenging to tell the difference between a genuine and fraudulent call.

Almost a third (30 percent) of the UK population received at least 10 cold calls per month, with 41 percent suspecting that a call was fraudulent or suspicious. However, when it came to those aged over 50, this group were shown to be particularly at risk, with almost half (47 per cent) having received a fraudulent or suspicious cold call.