Social media scams
Fraudsters like to use social media to try to scam people.
This guide tells you what to look out for and how to stay safe.
If you use social media, be careful with what you share and who you connect with online.
Make sure your settings are on private. And log off after use to stop anyone getting into your account.
Tips to beat social media scams
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Fraudsters can open fake accounts or break into other people’s accounts to send scam messages. They can pretend to be a friend or your family. And they often ask for money or banking details.
If you get a message like this, call the sender on a number you trust to make sure it’s real. Don’t use a number from a message as this could be part of a scam.
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What you share on social media can be seen by lots of people. So keep important details private to stop them being used by others.
Only connect with people you know. If you’re not sure who someone is, don’t connect with them.
If you have to register for a site or to enter a competition or quiz, make sure it’s safe before you give any personal details.
And be careful what you click on. Fraudsters can use links within a message to send you to a fake site or to put a virus on your device.
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Choose a new, strong password for every account or site you use.
Don’t use your personal details to create a password. Fraudsters may search through your social media to help them guess your passwords or to try to steal your identity.
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You can get straight forward, impartial advice on how to avoid scams from Take Five.
You can report a crime or get general advice from Action Fraud. They help banks and other companies combat fraud.
They offer advice on how to keep yourself and your devices safe from fraud.
UK Finance is there to support customers and to help make sure it's safe to bank.
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)
The PRA is part of the Bank of England. Their role is to make sure banks act safely and reduce the chance of them losing money.
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
The FCA is there to make sure banks work well so customers are protected and get a fair deal.
CIFAS can help to protect your identity. They can stop fraudsters from using your details to apply for things in your name.
This is a government site that gives advice on how to stay safe online.
This is part of the FCA site. You can use it to check on an investment or pension deals to help you avoid scams.
Lloyds Bank does not control the content of third party websites linked to on this page.
Important legal information
Lloyds Bank plc. Registered office: 25 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HN. Registered in England and Wales No. 2065. Lloyds Bank plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under registration number 119278.
Eligible deposits with us are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). We are covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).
Personalisation. We will always greet you personally using your Title and Surname. We will never use ‘Dear User’ or ‘Dear Valued Customer’. Where you hold an existing account with us, we will quote the last four digits of your account number, such as your current account, savings account or credit card. If you don’t yet have an account with us but we have your postal address details, we may use part of your postcode. Internet Banking-related emails may also include your Internet Banking User ID.
Links. All links within our emails will go to a page on www.lloydsbank.com, or to trusted Government regulatory websites (e.g. Financial Ombudsman, Financial Conduct Authority, etc). Research emails may take you to a partner research company website but you will not be asked for any Internet Banking log on details.
In fraudulent emails, website addresses may appear genuine on first sight, but if you hover your mouse over the link without clicking, it may reveal a different web address. On our genuine emails the link address always starts with email.lloydsbank.com or www.lloydsbank.com. We will never link direct through to our Internet Banking log on page or to a page that asks for your security or personal details.