Overview
- Lloyds says victims are losing an average of £1,420, with some cases topping £5,000 and 53% of reports involving people aged 18 to 34.
- Targets are asked to pay for training, DBS checks or application processing and are then blocked once the money is sent.
- Some schemes simulate legitimacy with fabricated interviews, fake contracts and websites, WhatsApp ‘work’ group chats and doctored bank screenshots.
- Initial payments can appear in victims’ accounts but often come from other duped individuals, and some operations route funds through crypto wallets or task platforms.
- Lloyds urges customers to stay vigilant and to report suspicious job offers or transactions to Action Fraud.