“The Tech Chap” creator Tom Honeyands lost around £70,000 after falling into a blow of phishing by phone.
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The fraud took place during a work trip in Tokyo and involved criminals posing as Lloyds bank.
A call that seemed normal
Tom Honeyands was in Japan on work when he received a call in the middle of his routine. On the other side, someone claimed to be from Lloyds Bank.
It was talking about a suspicious transaction in Singapore. Then came the guidance: the account could have been hacked and he would need to “confirm some security procedures”.
Nothing seemed off script at that point. But it was late, he was tired from the trip and at a noisy dinner. This, he himself later admits, greatly hampered the trial.
When loose information becomes a fitting piece
The coup had the air of something calmly put together. The criminals knew his name, his bank, and even that he was out of the country. It wasn’t random.
I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person. I should have known better. They knew my name, address, which bank I operated with, that I was traveling.
Tom Honeyands, technology influencer, on The Guardian.
The script was simple but effective: cancel suspicious payments and confirm codes sent via SMS. But these codes didn’t cancel anything — in practice, they authorized new beneficiaries.
There were 12 confirmations over a few hours. When he realized it, it was already too late: £70,000 (approximately R$511,000) had been transferred.
The scheme was based on things that are very common in this type of scam:
- A fake bank attendant passing authority
- Real data from the victim to give credibility
- Constant rush, as if something is about to get worse
- Verification codes presented as “protection”
- A moment of distraction that changes everything
At some point, he even hesitated. But the flow was so convincing that it felt like just another step in the process.
The moment the penny drops
The turning point came when the real team at Lloyds Bank got in touch. And then the situation got confusing: he was with the scammer on the line and, at the same time, talking to the real bank.
“I was thinking, ‘Who’s real?’” he said.
It was the bank who asked for the simplest — and decisive — decision. End calls and return via the official card number. Only after that did it become clear: it was a coup in progress.
What’s left of this story?
It’s not a case of advanced technology. It’s more about context, haste and small pieces of information scattered across the internet that end up being pieced together.
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And that changes the game.
Some precautions remain basic, but make a difference:
- Don’t trust unexpected bank calls
- Never pass codes received via SMS
- End the call and contact the bank yourself
- Avoid exposing routine and travel in real time
After the episode, Honeyands started to look more closely at what he publishes. Not out of paranoia, but because he saw in practice how loose pieces of information can turn into a very convincing story.
In the end, his case does not seem extraordinary due to the technology involved — and that is perhaps the most worrying thing.
Source: www.bing.com
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