UK police are texting 70,000 people who they believe have fallen victim to a worldwide scam that saw fraudsters steal at least £50 million from bank accounts.
200,000 people in the UK, including the elderly and disabled, are thought to have been targeted by conmen who masqueraded as highstreet banks.
Scammers paid a subscription to a service called iSpoof.cc that allowed them to disguise their phone number so they appeared to be calling from major banks including Barclays, NatWest, HSBC, Santander, Lloyds, First Direct, Nationwide, Halifax, and TSB.