Bank SMS Phishing: Fake Alerts and Links
Texts that look like bank alerts warn of blocked accounts, new payees or suspicious logins, with a link or number to call. How to tell fake bank texts from real ones.
"Your account has been suspended due to unusual activity. Verify now." "A new payee was added. If this wasn't you, call us on..." Fake bank texts copy the style of real alerts and add one thing real alerts avoid: a link to log in, or a number to call.
Common fake bank texts
- Account blocked or suspended.
- New payee or new device added.
- Suspicious payment "pending".
- Card needs "re-activation".
- Reward points about to expire.
hxxps://secure-bank-review[.]co/loginWhat to do
- Do not tap the link or call the number in the text.
- Open your banking app or call the number on your card.
- Report the text. See reporting scam texts.
Sender names can be faked. A fake text can appear in the same thread as your bank's real messages. See SMS sender spoofing.
Related: bank alert text scams and fake banking pages. For more, see the complete guide to financial scams.
Frequently asked questions
The fake text appeared in the same thread as my real bank messages. How?
Sender names can be spoofed, so fake texts sometimes land in the same conversation as genuine ones. The thread proves nothing.
Do banks send links in texts?
Some banks do for certain services, but you should never log in or share details through a text link. Open the app instead.
Where should I report a fake bank text?
Forward it to your bank's reporting address or number, and to your country's spam reporting service, such as 7726 in the UK.
Sources
- How To Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages, US Federal Trade Commission
- Take Five to Stop Fraud, Take Five (UK Finance)
- Phishing: spot and report scam emails, texts, websites and calls, UK National Cyber Security Centre
