Phone Scammers Impersonating Bank Staff

2024-04-09

Defrauding Tricks

Recently, a victim received a call from a scammer, posing as a bank staff member, who claimed that there were issues about the victim’s bank account (e.g. presence of suspicious illegal transaction records, involvement in money laundering, etc.) and the account would be frozen. Falsely claiming that they need to verify the victim’s identity, the scammer asked the victim to answer a number of questions so as to obtain a large amount of personal and bank account information. The scammer also asked the victim to transfer funds to a designated local bank account to “unfreeze” their account, seeking to defraud the victim of their money.

Our Advice

• Do not believe unknown callers who claim themselves as bank staff or disclose your personal information, bank account number and password to them;

• Even if callers provide you with information of relevant bank staff members, it does not necessarily mean that they are genuine bank staff. Scammers can obtain such information by unlawful means;

• Stay alert when receiving calls purportedly made by bank staff. You should contact corresponding banks to verify their identities;

• Remind your relatives and friends to stay vigilant against similar scams;

• If in doubt, please call the “Anti-Scam Helpline 18222” for enquiries.