| Payzone

Criminals are experts at impersonating the people and organisations we trust. They exploit current circumstances and our feelings in order to take advantage - if our guard is down for just a moment, they can catch us out.

Our network plays an important role within communities across the country and we need to be aware that fraudsters may target you or your customers with a scam.

Phone call scams

We have been made aware that people have been calling retailers claiming to work for Payzone and ask the shop assistants to test the Payzone device, duping them into processing high value transactions such as gift vouchers for £200 and passing over the voucher code.

Payzone or our partners will never call and ask anyone to process any transaction during a phone call. This warning is displayed before each transaction completes.

So if a person calling is claiming to be from Payzone or any other organisation, asks you or assistant to proceed, you must end the call immediately and contact our Helpdesk on 01606 566 566 to report the incident.

In person customer scam

These often start with a fraudster telephoning someone alleging to be from companies such as HMRC. They scare their victim into believing they owe large amounts of money.

The person is told that they need to purchase gift vouchers as payment and then prepped as to what to say when questioned by a shop, providing a variety of reasons for the purchase including gifts for family or colleagues at work.

The victim is then contacted again and asked to read out the code to the fraudsters who sell the codes on or purchase high-value products at the victim's expense.

What to look out for

Whilst it can be difficult to determine whether a customer is the victim of a scam, please always remain alert and engage in conversation wherever possible. Remember:

Customers may appear unsure, confused or anxious as they feel threatened and under duress to complete the purchase – they may even be taking instructions from the fraudster over the phone whilst at the counter, or from someone outside.
When questioned, they may say it is for “family or a friend” but not say who it is really for, or they are reluctant to tell you.
They may get angry if you ask questions as they are worried about the consequences of not being able to do the transaction.
The victim may have been instructed to purchase high value or multiple vouchers in one go, or by visiting your shop multiple times in a day and use differing methods of payment.

From previous reports received, we know that on many occasions the customer will be on the phone when entering/leaving the branch and sometimes even during the transaction.

Think about the person, the location, the activity and whether your experience with the customer does not feel right.

What to do

If you suspect that a customer is vulnerable and may have been targeted, engage them in conversation about their purchase.

You should ask questions if you have concerns about the activity of any customer buying gift vouchers, particularly those who appear unsure as to the reason for their purchase or they wish to purchase large quantities.

If you still feel that the customer is being scammed, encourage them not to continue with the transaction and explain that they could be a victim of fraud.

Where possible request ID to obtain customer details, which may be useful when reporting.

Reporting your suspicions

If the customer insists on proceeding, you can continue with the transaction but remember to report your suspicions to our Helpdesk on 01606 566 566

If you have reason to believe a customer is being scammed you should contact the Police on 999 and quote ‘Banking Protocol’. Police aim to attend the branch within 15 minutes to talk to your customer.

Check out the Take Five national campaign offering straight-forward, impartial advice that helps prevent scams www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk