‘I should know better’: tech expert lost £70,000 in one simple phone call
Summary
Tom Honeyands, a technology reviewer with a large YouTube following, lost £70,000 in a phone scam while on a work trip in Tokyo. The scammer pretended to be from his bank, Lloyds, and used personal information likely gathered from his social media to trick him into confirming payments.Key Facts
- Tom Honeyands has 1.63 million subscribers on his YouTube channel “The Tech Chap.”
- He received a call from someone claiming to be from Lloyds bank during a trip to Tokyo.
- The scammer said there was suspicious activity and asked for security details to be reset.
- Honeyands suspects the scammer used information from his social media and computer screen icons.
- The call happened late at night when he was tired and jet-lagged, making him less alert.
- He confirmed 12 verification codes over a few hours, allowing criminals to steal £70,000.
- The real Lloyds security team contacted him, and he was advised to hang up and call the bank directly using a trusted number.
- Honeyands warns people not to share sensitive information online, like showing bank icons or travel plans.
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