Fraudulent calls in the name of APB: banking association warns of scam
The Portuguese Banking Association warns of fraudulent calls made by people claiming to be its staff members. The scammers request personal and banking data from victims.
APB warns: scammers make calls in the name of banking association
The Portuguese Banking Association (APB) issued a public alert on Wednesday, 26 August, about fraudulent calls made by people who "falsely present themselves as its staff members", according to reporting by Público.
In a statement, the APB explains that the contacts claim the existence of a suspicious transfer or other irregular operation in the recipient's bank account. Using this pretext, those making the calls request personal data, banking information, access credentials and authentication codes.
The association further emphasises that, in certain cases, scammers resort to spoofing techniques — digital falsification of the source number — making the APB's general number appear on the recipient's screen.
The APB clarifies that it does not monitor accounts or operations of individuals and does not contact bank customers to communicate suspicious movements. It also never requests "personal or banking data, credentials for accessing online banking, authentication codes or any other security elements".
APB recommendations
The association provided several guidelines for those receiving this type of call:
- Do not provide personal or banking information, nor share passwords or authentication codes;
- End the call immediately;
- Contact your bank directly, through official channels, to confirm any alleged operation;
- Report the attempted fraud to the competent authorities.
"In case of doubt, the contact should be interrupted and information should always be confirmed through official channels", the APB emphasises.
Source: Público