[John Kelly]

You may have seen in the press, reports about small businesses being targeted by online banking fraud. By clicking a link in an email they take control of your computer and when you log onto banking they throw up a fake site to harvest your log in details and empty the account within minutes. The worse thing about this is the banks are now saying its your fault and refusing to repay the money.
This is not new, however apparently this is much more sophisticated. The emails can come from anywhere but include HM Revenue and Customs.
We ourselves have had 2 this week supposedly from LinkedIn asking you to view a profile.

[from edge2edge]

Thanks for that John its much appreciated.................Alan(in wet Swindon)

[Dennis]

Read that the other day, one poor sod is £70,000 down!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/saving/article-2465839/Bankline-fraud-NatWest-business-accounts-hit-online-scam.html

[John Kelly]

What amazes me is if I go into my branch to pay an international invoice I can pay for it to be done within 24 hours or pay a little less but it will take 2-3 days yet these scammers can do it in seconds. The banks are becoming much less likely to look favourably on this kind of thing and leave you in the lurch.

I've mentioned before this can happen if you take card payments as well. I've just done my quarterly compliance online it takes minutes.

[davep]

Got this email just now

 Comments: Hello, I am writing in an unusual case ... Some time ago, I used your services, and one of your employees face was familiar to me. At dinner with my wife, it turned out that he was a burglar, who 5 years ago broke into our home!!! This is ridiculous!!! How you can hire criminals? I found at least 3 bad entries for him at website for background check.   (Site removed.)     ! I am sure there are more!!! Please do something about it, things like that are ridiculous

[JandS]

Just got one wanting help with an inheritance transaction...they never give up.

[Kev Loomes]

Take note of Johns warning people.

Some of them are amazingly real like (yes there are bad ones too) and I imagine would fool a lot of people. You really have to be on the case to avoid being done. We get them daily - probably 10 a day, from HM Customs, all the banks, Paypal, so called lottery wins, you name it we get it. And yes its flipping annoying!

[John Kelly]

Yes Kev, the big change here is the banks trying to squirm out of it. Lot of people are going to get stung.

[Simon@arenaclean]

Had one from HMRC telling me about my refund It was really convincing to look at but anything that invites you to click a link is always to be avoided.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

I have recently changed my phone and was having problems loading my email.

I therefore forwarded it to my googlemail account which filters out virtually all spam.

I still have all the rubbish but delete in the evening when I get back.

So far today I have had 40 emails but only one forwarded, mostly relating to enlarging a part of my body, has nobody told them!

Cheers

Doug

[Paul Moss]

Hi Guys

I have recently changed my phone and was having problems loading my email.

I therefore forwarded it to my googlemail account which filters out virtually all spam.

I still have all the rubbish but delete in the evening when I get back.

So far today I have had 40 emails but only one forwarded, mostly relating to enlarging a part of my body, has nobody told them!

Cheers

Doug

Doug I fell into that trap too have you seen the size of my nose now