Sydney suburbs targeted in bank phone scam

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

 
@austbankers

www.bankers.asn.au