Didnt know where to post this or anything.(Also a current Monzo Plus Member)
But Jim Browning has uploaded a video about Scammers getting Victims to sign up to Monzo accounts.
Video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvqyIr-4jBk
Dont know if Monzo/Other banks should impliment something in their App during the sign-up Process to protect potential victims from fraud attempts.
Just came to post this video, hopefully the financial crime team sees this and can do something to help mitigate it.
The scammers seem to be using remote software to get onto the phones to watch the sign up, does that trigger an overlay ? Maybe monzo can try detect if thereās an overlay during sign up.
I tried to take a screenshot on iOS and Monzo and Nationwide just let me grab the screen ( they have been obliterated). The only one that mitigated it was my Credit Union account where it detected that i took a screenshot and said it was in a protected environment and gave a blank screenshot in return. Guessing they must be using some form of DRM? Not too clued up on Apps etc.
Like you say though there must be some way of detecting a screen recording or Remote Access app running in the background on both platforms.
Been a while since I opened an account but I thought you only got the account details when youād activated the card?
From what I remember I had my details before I had my card as I put a couple of quid in the account and swapped my wages straight into the account at the time. When I got the card I had to register my ATM Pin code and it was all tokyo agogo.
Donāt quote me on that though I may be wrong. Itās been a while.
Monzo are probably already aware of this. Just thought iād create a topic to see if others were.
The question is why is our law enforcement not doing the same thing as this YouTube guy? This isnāt some kind of super-advanced scam, all it takes is to set up a few hundred phone numbers (which Iād expect carriers to be willing to provide, considering they are also affected by these scams) and paying agents to pose as potential victims to obtain as much info as possible and unravel the scams (at least collecting account numbers to get them shut down near-instantly with the cooperation of banks).
Question is, what exactly would defend against a scam where someone is literally being guided through signup?
This is an iOS feature if the input field is marked as sensitive!
Mostly because they already have a lot on their plate and borders on a form of entrapment that doesnāt hold up in court. Building a case and getting a conviction is a lot more work than just finding someone!
On mine the screen recording for the entire sign in is blacked out, howeverā¦ When entering the pin you can see where I tapped on the screen as it shows a mark where the screen is pressed. Didnāt take a genius to then work out what the 4 digit PIN was
I wonder what version of Android theyāre running, mines running version 10 and itās also EMUI on a Huawei phone.
Maybe theyāve got an older version or mine is tweaked slightly to function like that.
For the GIF I just found an app to turn a video into a GIF, tried to upload the video to forum but it said unsupported and gave me the file formats. Didnāt even know there was video to GIF convertors 
Luckily never fallen for such a scam, but have fallen into a spiral of watching Jim Browning videos. Not all heroes wear tights
Thanks for sharing
Had fun demonstrating editing HTML elements on the fly to my bubble
Up to now Iāve only used it for working around elements that obscure the screen, like annoying full page adverts on every Reach news site
Using it to editing bank transactions like that is wild and my brain had never envisaged that it could find such use in the wild
Within settings (of Monzo on Android) you can turn this protection on and off. I keep mine on and on tge rare occasion I need a screenshot turn it off, get the image and turn back on again.
Yeah the issue with that is, itās not on by default. The average user wonāt be delving into settings to turn it on either.
Can guarantee if it was switched on any scammers would just get the person at the other end to switch it off so they can then see what they need to.
True, as Steve Gibson puts it on Security Now āthe tyrony of the defaultā.
A few thoughts:
Really poor behaviour from someone who ought to know better, in my opinion.
Vigilantism on the streets is not in anyoneās interest. Nor should it be online.
Letās not engage in whataboutery. Iād rather not anyone be a victim of fraud (or, as the cool kids say, frauded) but as a society we have to choose who to police bad stuff. Thatās the (genuine) NCA. If thatās not working then thereās a cause for reform - not for every amateur online detective to have a pop.
We donāt know the details here, but I would have thought a more responsible course of action would be to call the (UK) police, Lloyds Bank or Monzo immediately. Instead, he appears to have deliberately misled the victim. Now, you can debate the philosophy of ends justifying their means all you want - but Iād rather have clear rules and commonly understood legislation, rather than someone (literally) making it up as they go along.
This video suggests he gave the evidence to the local Indian police, not the NCA or a territorial UK force. So I donāt think there was the opportunity for a āslap on the wristā.
Iām also a bit concerned that he has a patreon running. Is he literally profiting out of his vigilantism?
Edit: @ndrw beat me to it 
!
The problem with the police investigating this is that they donāt have the manpower to stop it. Jim Browning has done work with BBCās Panorama so whilst his actions an be said to be vigilantism, he is known for genuinely highlighting and awareness these issues with the public in the hope that it is dealt with better.
He gives the details to the Indian police because that is where the crime is committed and it is only them who can stop it. He does contact local (UK or US) police as he mentions it on different videos in passing.
Here is the BBC Stories about it.
BBC Panorama Story
BBC Article
Here is the start of the Panorama series from Jim Brownings point of view.
I think thatās my point. It makes me deeply uneasy that this is his ājobā.
depending on the amount of money at stake that it could explain his behaviourā¦ Or you could just ask him via Twitter why he impersonated a Monzo employee.
Also as side note the police the NCA etc. wonāt really stop these scammers or individuals. Education will or Monzo developing better online tools. Its a constant battle and will remain so
