Which? responds to Santander's warning of an increase in NHS text message scams

Adam French, Which? Consumer Rights Expert, said: "Throughout the pandemic, fraudsters have used every change in Covid rules as an opportunity to create new scams to part people from their hard-earned cash. "These scam NHS texts offering PCR tests are no exception. People should be on high alert for scams and if in any doubt, should verify the text directly with the NHS or their bank before giving any personal or bank account details. "Which? is calling on banks and businesses to sign up to its SMS best practice guide and commit to taking steps to help prevent their customers falling victim to fraud."
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Notes to editors You can report the scam text by forwarding it to your network provider on 7726. If you've received a fake text that pretends to have been sent by a genuine company, it's worth alerting the company the scammers have tried to mimic. The company can then warn its customers about the scam and take steps to prevent scammers from targeting them in the future. If you've entered any bank details, contact your bank to ensure the scammer cannot take any more money from your account and ask to be reimbursed. Many banks have promised to reimburse blameless victims of this kind of fraud by signing up to the voluntary authorised payments code. However, banks might challenge customers if they think the customer didn't take precautions. If consumers don't have any luck getting their money back from their bank, the last resort would be to complain to the Financial Ombudsman. Consumers can also sign up to Which?'s free scam alert service to keep themselves, friends and family up to speed with the latest tactics used by fraudsters: