The provider used Twitter to alert people to scams that could be happening right under their noses, using popular HBO program House of Dragons as an example. The bank attached an image to the tweet that urged people to beware of scams “impersonating games”. The attached image posed the question “What is your Targaryen name?”
To find the answer, the image said it would be a person’s mother’s maiden name and the name of their first pet.
Of course, although this is an example designed by Lloyds to appear as a harmless game, posts like this could be the perfect opportunity for nefarious scammers to harvest details commonly used by Brits like security answers for online banking.
The bank tweeted: “Winter is coming. Beware of scams that ask for personal information.”
The warning came as part of the bank’s campaign to educate the public about how scammers can use social media to steal personal information.
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In a follow-up tweet, Lloyds Bank said: “Fraudsters may try to find information about you online.
“It could help them gain access to your accounts or gain your trust during a scam call.”
The warning comes after posts on social media sites encouraged users to answer such questions.
These types of posts frequently appear when companies use them to try to increase engagement on their brand’s social media page.
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One of the most popular ways to spread their brand is by asking a fun and nostalgic question. Questions like what was your first car? What was the color of your favorite ice cream? and what was your first pet’s name? were frequently used.
Although the brands themselves have no negative intentions, scammers might rely on this harmless engagement for their own devious means.
These questions seem trivial, and for the vast majority of social media users, they are.
However, millions of criminals lurk on social media looking for personal information they can use against someone and the answers to these types of questions can expose people to identity theft for sophisticated scams. .
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It said: “Do not use your personal data to create a password. Fraudsters can search your social networks to help them guess your passwords or to try to steal your identity.
If they gain access to someone’s account, scammers can pretend to be the person and often ask friends and family for money or bank details.
Lloyds Bank says if people receive a message like this they should call the sender on a number they trust to make sure it is real.
He also warns people not to use a message number as it could be part of the scam.
To reduce the risk of being exposed to scammers, Lloyds Bank urges people to only connect with people they know and if they are unsure then people should not connect with them.
The bank added: “If you need to register on a site or take part in a competition or quiz, make sure it is secure before giving out any personal information.
“And be careful what you click on. Fraudsters can use links in a message to send you to a fake site or put a virus on your device.