Financial Ombudsman Issues Five Scam Avoidance Tips for Channel Islands Residents

Doug Melville, the chief executive of the Channel Islands’ Financial Ombudsman, has offered five pieces of advice to residents of Jersey and Guernsey. He suggests these communities are particularly vulnerable to fraud due to their “trusting communities.” Mr. Melville cautioned islanders against sharing passwords, accepting individuals’ stated identities without verification, engaging in screen-sharing, exchanging one-time codes, and acting immediately when prompted by suspicious contacts. He stated: “There’s no shame in this, this is a war that we’re engaged in.” Mr. Melville advised that if contacted by phone or text, individuals should not automatically trust the caller’s or sender’s claimed identity. He recommended terminating such calls and refraining from replying to any suspicious text messages. For those with concerns, he suggested reaching out to their banks using a verified contact number. Furthermore, islanders were instructed to keep their passwords confidential. Mr. Melville emphasized: “Do not ever share your log in details or your passwords.” He added: “Anyone asking for them is a bad guy trying to get access to your online bank account.” He noted that the same caution applies to one-time passcodes, which are typically used to authenticate the holder of a bank account. Mr. Melville’s fourth piece of advice was for individuals to never permit external entities to remotely control their screens. He explained: “You’re actually handing them the ability to control your computer and extract information that would help them to get at your bank account.” Mr. Melville also underscored that victims of scams should not feel ashamed. He advised: “If you realise you have been scammed take immediate action.” He continued: “Don’t waste your time worrying about it. “Seek guidance from friends and family as well as you’ll need that support, especially if it’s a significant amount of money you’ve lost.” Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.