Which? says fake NatWest emails and Barclays texts are trying to steal personal details, and Lloyds reports impersonation scams cost its customers 10% more.
A text or email that looks like it came from your bank may be a trap. Consumer group Which? has warned about a fake NatWest email and a fake Barclays text. Both try to get your personal and financial details. The Barclays text pushes you to call a number, and the NatWest email sends you to a copycat website.
On October 7, Which? added a NatWest email to its scam warnings. It tells you to update your information, which is a common scammer request. The email contains a link to a site made to look like NatWest. If you type your details in, they are exposed.
In September, Which? flagged a fake Barclays text. It says a direct debit has been set up on your account and urges you to call a number to cancel it. That number connects you to a fraudster who wants your personal information.
Which? also said scammers used a recent Google outage to try to get people's details and money. The outage has been resolved. But it left many people more exposed because customers could not reach their funds.
The wider numbers are worrying. Lloyds Bank figures show that fraudsters posing as trusted organizations, including banks, stole 10% more from its customers in the year to the end of June 2026 than in the 12 months before. Santander said earlier this year that more than £3m had been stolen from its customers so far in 2026.
The specific warnings name NatWest and Barclays. Lloyds customers are included in the general alert, and so is anyone who gets a message claiming to be from their bank. Scammers need no real link to you. They only need you to believe the message.
If you have not received a message like this, nothing has happened to you. If you never act on a message by clicking or calling what it gives you, you are also in a much safer position.
That last point matters most. Barclays says only criminals act with urgency and panic to rush and pressure you. A real bank does not need you to decide in a hurry.
The steps are in the alert box above, including how to reach your bank's fraud team and how to report scam texts. The key idea is simple. Do not use anything inside the message. Reach your bank on your own.
The material does not say how many people received these messages or how many lost money to them. It also does not say whether the fake NatWest and Barclays messages are still going out. Scam wording changes often, so the safest habit is to treat any rushed bank message with doubt.
If a message claiming to be your bank rushes you, ignore its links and numbers and contact your bank through the number on your card.
The Attala County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi says scam calls are reaching residents, and a call that sounds official may not be.
Read more: Mississippi sheriff warns residents about scam phone callsScammers are posing as Texas sheriff's officers and claiming you missed jury duty. Caller ID can show a real police number even when the call is fake.
Read more: Fake jury duty calls spoof a real Texas sheriff's phone numberFake PayPal emails and texts, some posing as a security report, try to get you to tap a link and type your login. Checking your account directly avoids the trap.
Read more: Got a fake PayPal message? Skip its link and check your account yourself
