A fraud chief at Britain ’ s biggest bank has admitted scam texts are now so sophisticated even he sometimes can not tell if they are genuine . Paul Davis , retail fraud director at Lloyds Banking Group , told Money Mail criminals can mimic Attack.Phishing the exact format of messages – which appear as though they are sent Attack.Phishing from a bank ’ s number using a technique called ‘ spoofing ’ . With fake banking texts now so difficult to spot , Mr Davis said customers should be taught how to respond to them to avoid being lured Attack.Phishing into a scam . He added : ‘ It ’ s the new “ don ’ t talk to strangers ” . 'We teach children how to cross the road and we also need to teach everyone how to be aware of and stay safe from scams . It ’ s the new basic life safety advice we all need to know. ’ Mr Davis said the key to avoiding falling for scams was to treat all messages with caution . ‘ It ’ s about what you say when you reply , ’ he said . ‘ Don ’ t ever give out your bank details and never give more than a simple answer like yes or no. ’ The context of messages could be crucial , he explained . For example , when shopping online , if a customer is texted at the same time to confirm they intended to make this exact purchase , it is more likely to be genuine . But if a person receives a text out of the blue saying they have made a payment and can they confirm the purchase , it is more likely to be a scam . Mr Davis accepted it was hard to know what messages to trust because even genuine ones can appear suspicious if they come from a variety of numbers . ‘ If in doubt , don ’ t reply and ring the number on the back of your card , ’ he said . Customers were also warned never to click on links in texts or open email attachments claiming to be from the bank , as this could download malware which can spy on their phone or computer to find out their password . The Daily Mail is campaigning for fairer treatment for customers who fall prey to so-called authorised push payment fraud – sophisticated scams where victims are tricked Attack.Phishing into transferring money . In the first six months of this year alone , around £145million was lost to this crime – of which only £31million was refunded . There is currently no obligation on banks to reimburse customers who authorise payment in this type of fraud – and many say the victim is to blame for allowing the transaction to go through . But consumer campaigners argue most scams are now so sophisticated even the savviest customers can fall for them . Mr Davis said Lloyds examined each case on an individual basis and ‘ often ’ refunded victims as a gesture of goodwill . He said : ‘ The key to stopping this type of fraud is working together . There ’ s a shared responsibility . The bank needs to do things to protect its customers but the victim also needs to take steps to protect themselves. ’ He added : ‘ Helping keep our customers ’ money safe is our priority and we fully support Money Mail ’ s campaign. ’ Yesterday , new rules were announced proposing greater protection for scam victims , in a victory for the Mail ’ s campaign . The guidelines say banks must flash up warnings if a customer is making a questionable transfer and should carry out greater checks to ensure they are paying who they think they are . Banks should also delay payments if they are concerned they may be fraudulent and refund vulnerable victims , such as those who have been recently bereaved – even if the bank was not at fault . But there was no agreement on who should bankroll the cost of refunds for victims – and some campaigners criticised the code for not going far enough . The voluntary agreement between most banks and consumer groups follows an eight-month consultation by a steering group appointed by the Payment Systems Regulator , following a super-complaint by consumer group Which ?

Barts Health Trust , which runs The Royal London , St Bartholomew 's , Whipps Cross , Mile End and Newham hospitals , is investigating the breach . The trust said it could now rule out ransomware , in which email recipients are tricked Attack.Phishing into opening attachments which contain viruses , as the cause . It has not confirmed how much of its system was affected but said there was no sign that patient data was accessed Attack.Databreach . In a statement said : `` We are urgently investigating this matter and have taken a number of drives offline as a precautionary measure . `` We have tried and tested contingency plans in place and are making every effort to ensure that patient care will not be affected . '' The incident Attack.Ransom follows a similar attack Attack.Ransom on the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust in October , when malware was used to encrypt files on the trust 's system and demand a ransom Attack.Ransom in order to access them again . The trust did not pay out Attack.Ransom , but was forced to cancel patient appointments while its systems were shut down to remove the virus