10 March 2016
Sydney, 10 March 2016: The Australian Bankers’ Association has today warned about a telephone scam trying to get Sydneysiders to disclose personal and banking information.
“These callers are falsely using the ABA’s name and claiming to conduct surveys about bank satisfaction,” ABA Chief Executive Steven Münchenberg said.
“Over the past few weeks the ABA has received numerous calls from people living in Ryde, Caringbah and Carlingford reporting this scam.
“Elderly people are at risk because they are more likely to be home during the day,” he said.
Some of the questions scammers typically ask are:
- Who do you bank with?
- How long have you banked with them?
- Are you satisfied with your bank?
In some cases people are told they are owed a ‘refund’ for overcharged bank fees but they have to pay a fee for it. People can be tricked into revealing their driver’s licence number, credit card number or internet banking login.
“The ABA does not conduct customer satisfaction surveys or contact the public in these ways,” Mr Münchenberg said.
“If you receive a phone call such as this, do not provide any information. If you have given any details to these callers, contact your bank as they can take action to protect and monitor your account.
“At a time when there is also a sophisticated SMS phishing scam targeting mobile banking customers, it’s important to be wary of disclosing information to people you don’t know.”
If you receive a call of this nature please report it to the ABA on 02 8298 0417.
ENDS
Contact: Stephanie Arena 0477 470 677 or Nic Frankham 0435 963 913
Latest news
Michael McLaren (Host): Well, here we are at the Easter Show, the great celebration of country life in the city, but it’s also an important platform this to better understand the challenges that the regions face. Now, yesterday, we looked at the floods. Today, I want to look at the banks. Now in the regions,… Read more »
The ABA is reminding customers across North and Far North Queensland that they don’t have to tough it out on their own, as they continue to recover from February’s severe flooding event. ABA CEO Anna Bligh recently met with Queensland’s State Recovery Coordinator Andrew Cripps to discuss how banks can assist customers facing financial difficulty… Read more »
Banks stand ready to support customers in western Queensland and parts of New South Wales affected by heavy rainfall and flooding. ABA CEO Anna Bligh said customers don’t have to tough it out on their own and banks have a range of practical measures to assist those facing financial stress. “This is a challenging time… Read more »