Cyber scams against bank customers has become one of the main problems of our time. Almost every day, someone believes cyber fraudsters, allowing their personal information to fall into their hands, and then suffers the consequences.
Your trusted bank, Bank ABB has prepared a list of the most common types of cyber fraud encountered in daily practice to protect its customers from such situations and to raise awareness on this topic as much as possible.
Let's read, share as much as possible, protect ourselves, and others as well...
1. Don't lose alertness when receiving a call from a bank employee!
In many cases, fraudsters call pretending to be a bank employee. They may claim to have detected some suspicious activity on your account or state that there are issues in the system, asking for your confidential information to supposedly protect your funds. You can listen, but don't believe them. Never share these details (the 16 digits on your card, the CVV or CVC code, the OTP code received via SMS, or your online banking password) with anyone. Know that all of this information is already available to the bank. If necessary, the bank employee can carry out all necessary operations without calling you.
If there is suspicion of scam activity, a bank employee might call the customer in very rare cases. However, in this case, they will only ask if the customer themselves initiated the transaction. No numbers or codes will be requested under any circumstances. If someone asks for this information, know and be aware that you're speaking to a scammer, not a bank employee.
2. When a request for urgent money comes from your familiar ones, make sure to verify!
In certain cases, fraudsters take over the "WhatsApp," "Telegram," "Instagram," and other social media accounts of individuals and start messaging their close ones from these accounts. They claim to be in a difficult situation and urgently need money, asking for funds to be sent to a specific card number. When faced with such situations, be extremely cautious! How? Call the person who messaged you on their mobile number. Verify if the person who messaged you is really the one they claim to be! Even if the call comes from this mobile number, do not immediately trust it. Fraudsters may try to alarm you and take advantage of your panic.
3. Don't believe those who claim they've mistakenly transferred money to your account!
This is a frequently used scam. Sometimes, fraudsters call or send SMS messages claiming that they have accidentally transferred money to your account and now you need to return the amount. Know that this is a scam method. If you transfer the money, it will not be possible to get it back. Without checking your balance and without contacting the bank, do not carry out any transfer operations to these people.
4. Investigate discount and gift offers!
When you come across offers on social networks related to discounts on fines, enticing investment opportunities, cheap electronics, airplane tickets, gift cards and so on, make sure to do further research. Check the official websites of the organizations offering these opportunities.
5. Don't get excited about every “good news”!
You might receive a call, SMS, or a message via social media congratulating you, claiming you have won the lottery or received a gift in a prize game. Then, they will ask for your confidential information to transfer the prize amount to your account. Thank them for the congratulations, and inform them that you need to notify your bank about this first. Then, hang up immediately and contact the bank.
6. Don't join suspicious lottery games!
Sometimes, you may receive an email or SMS with a link inviting you to join a lottery, betting game, or a prize campaign. Such advertisements frequently appear online as well. In these cases, be extremely cautious. Never click on these links without investigation, since most of them are fake. By entering your personal information, you aren't increasing your chances of winning; you are simply sharing your data with fraudsters. Additionally, some of these games may require a certain payment to participate.
7. Protect your mobile device!
Only download official apps from "Google Play," "App Store," and "Microsoft Store." When making online purchases, carefully check the website addresses. If the domain name doesn’t exactly match the official name of the site, do not enter your information. This is dangerous. It’s also a good idea to enable the function in your browser to block fake websites.
Stay away from individuals who present themselves as employees of any organization and try to get you to download mobile apps to your device. Never give your device to strangers. If unauthorized apps from unofficial sources have been installed on your device, remove them immediately. Otherwise, your device’s control, card details, passwords, and social media accounts could be compromised. If you suddenly notice such an app installed on your device and lose control of your device, immediately turn off your Wi-Fi connection. If you are connected to the internet via GSM, quickly remove the SIM card.
8. Connect to a secure internet network!
Do not use online banking services on public Wi-Fi networks (for example, in cafes, restaurants, parks, public transport, etc.). Do not access your bank accounts from other people’s computers or mobile devices. Always ensure you are connected to a secure internet connection.
9. Don’t fall for appealing shopping offers!
Have you posted a sales ad on classified websites? Congratulations! But avoid individuals who ask for your card details for a down payment after only seeing the picture of the property or item you are selling online. Don’t share your details with them. If they are a real buyer, they will view the item in person and make payment. If someone decides to buy based only on the picture of the item and asks for your card details for a down payment, immediately ask yourself: would you do the same? If so, this could be a scam.
10. Keep an eye on your account!
Download and use the bank's mobile app. Regularly check the transaction history for your card, deposit, and other accounts. Make sure the 3D security service is activated. It’s also advisable to activate the SMS notification service to receive instant updates about transactions. If you receive notifications about any transactions you did not perform or are unaware of, immediately block your card via the mobile app and inform the bank.
11. Be aware of what information the bank may ask from you!
A bank employee may only request a small amount of information for customer identification during any phone conversation. This includes: the customer's bank identification code (CIF), the first or last 4 digits of the card, the registered contact number, the PIN (Personal Identification Number) of the ID card, and so on. The bank employee will not request any other information from you.
The bank does not send any forms/links asking you to enter personal information, confirm, update, or submit it via SMS or email. Bank employees never ask customers for confidential information (full card number, PIN, SMS, CVV/CVC codes, etc.) and do not require transactions to be carried out with cards.
During changes to your mobile number in customer service structures, a one-time password (OTP) may be sent to ensure the correct number is registered. In this case, the operator will only ask you to read the one-time password sent to the newly assigned mobile number.
12. Use the ABB mobile app!
The ABB mobile app is certified with the ISO:IEC 27001:2022 security certificate from the International Organization for Standardization. The app uses the Codevo system. If viruses or malware enter the phone, this system prevents them from accessing the ABB mobile app and ensures that bank data does not fall into the hands of fraudsters. The system also blocks malicious attempts and protects the customer's device from unauthorized external intrusions.
Additionally, when sales calls are made on behalf of the bank, a notification will appear on the customer’s mobile phone prior to the call, informing them of the incoming call. This way, the customer can respond to the call only after they are completely sure it is from the bank.
