The telephone number +447421193881 has been linked to the HSBC new payee request for Mr C Jones text scam. If you get a phone call or text from this number then do not call back, reply to a text or click on any links.
The most recent report of a scam text from +447421193881 included the following message:
HSBC: a new payee request for MR C Jones has been made on your account. If you don’t recognise this change, please visit: security-transaction-alerts(.)com/hsbc
How does this HSBC scam text work?
UK residents are being sent unsolicited text messages from the number +447421193881. The texts suggest that a new payee has been added to the recipient’s HSBC account. The name of the New Payee request on this particular text is MR C Jones. At this point anyone who does have a HSBC account may be at risk of falling for this scam.
How can I avoid this scam?
Remember HSBC do not send texts from regular mobile numbers. Therefore, the fact that the number of this text is +447421193881, is a dead giveaway that this is a scam.
An even clearer clue that this is a dubious text is the domain that is linked to in the text. The website security-transaction-alerts-(.)com, which was registered on the 17th February 21, is clearly not the real HSBC website. In fact the website security transaction alerts was set up by scammers for the sole purpose of committing fraud against UK citizens.
After setting up the website the scammers wasted no time in sending their scam text messages. The text below was received by a UK resident on the 17th February 2021, the same day the scam website was set up.
@HSBC_UK the number concerned is probably one of many being used by fraudsters to phish for victims.
This is a #scam pic.twitter.com/gQall5T9Ij
— Steve Stark (@SolidaritySteve) February 17, 2021
How does the HSBC new payee scam work?
The scammers send out a huge batch of texts to UK mobile phone numbers warning that a new payee has been set up on their HSBC account to a MR C Jones. Recipients of the text who do not have a HSBC account will of course dismiss this text as spam.
However, a proportion of HSBC account holders who receive this text will be duped into believing it has come from HSBC. If they click on the link they will be taken to a website which is designed to look just like the real HSBC website. At this point they are invited to put in their banking details. Anyone who does this will have given the scammers a free hand to access their real HSBC account and commit fraud against them.
What should I do if I get a message from +447421193881?
Do not reapond to any messages from this number and do not click on any of the links. You can report this text scam to HSBC by email on: phishing@hsbc.co.uk