Local banks are coordinating with Qatar Central Bank (QCB) to crack down on fraudsters who try to trick residents by obtaining their account details.
Of late, many residents have been receiving mostly WhatsApp messages that appear to be from their bank, asking them to “update information missing from their account profile.”
A banker told Gulf Times Wednesday that many customers have contacted them after receiving messages that their “ATM cards have been blocked” because they have not updated customer information with the bank.
“We don’t sent WhatsApp messages or e-mails to customers asking for sensitive information. Customers are strongly advised against responding to calls, SMS or electronic messages from entities claiming to represent banks, telecommunication or law enforcement agencies, asking for sensitive information. This includes information of customer ID, bank cards or passwords,” he explained.
A customer who recently contacted her bank’s call centre said she was advised to “ignore such messages” as these were fake.
Scammers also sent forged images of letters and cheques saying customers have won cash prizes.
“We have a mechanism in place to advise our customers. These include messages dispatched either through their bank app or Internet banking corridor,” the banker said.
In Qatar, Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has facilitated a very efficient system to ensure card safety and foolproof electronic transactions across the nation-wide network of banks.
A senior executive with an Islamic bank yesterday said that while the banks would ensure that all card-based transactions are safe, customers must exercise all possible care for their card safety.
“Under no circumstances should a user reveal the personal identification number (PIN) to another person. Also, customers must not disclose their card number (embossed on the credit or debit card) to a third party,” he said.
According to Banking Ombudsman Scheme, a free and independent dispute resolution service, scammers try to trick customers into giving out personal information such as bank account numbers, passwords and credit card numbers.
This is called a phishing scam.
Typically, customers receive an e-mail from what looks like their bank.
It will say they need to confirm some personal details, usually their Internet banking username and password.
It will contain a link to a website that looks like the bank’s, but is fake.
Customers who enter these details will soon find scammers have accessed their accounts and cleared out their money.
“Be extremely wary of e-mails that appear to be from your bank and that ask you to confirm your personal details.
Banks will never ask you for your password in emails.
Don’t click on links within any email if you have the slightest suspicion about its authenticity.
Simply delete the email.
If you need to go to your bank’s website, type the address into your browser.
“If you enter your internet banking password and other details into a fake website, it’s likely you will be liable for any losses because you disclosed this crucial information,” the service said.
Fraudsters may also make phishing phone calls pretending to be from the customer’s bank, telephone company, government department or a computer company.
They may ask them to turn on their computer and download software that gives them access to everything on your computer.
“A fraudster who has gained access to your computer may be able to steal money from your bank accounts.
Be very cautious about unsolicited phone calls, no matter how plausible the caller sounds,” Banking Ombudsman Scheme said in an advisory on common scams targeting bank customers.
Related Story