Fake Internet Banking Login Pages
Links in texts, emails and search ads lead to perfect copies of bank login pages. How fake banking pages work, how to spot them, and the safe ways to log in every time.
A fake banking page can look identical to the real one: same logo, same colours, same layout. The difference is the address, and what happens to the details you type.
How people reach them
- Text alerts about blocked accounts or suspicious payments. See bank SMS phishing.
- Emails about security updates.
- Search ads above the real bank's result. See search ad phishing.
- Links in WhatsApp or social media.
How to spot them
- The address is not your bank's real domain. See lookalike domains and how to read a URL.
- You arrived from a link rather than typing or bookmarking.
- It asks for more than usual: full card number, PIN or all your security answers.
- Your password manager does not offer to fill in. See password managers as an alarm.
Log in only through your bank's official app or a bookmark you saved. Never through a link in a message.
If you entered details
Call your bank on the number on your card, then follow entered your password on a phishing page. See also fake login pages.
For more, see the complete guide to financial scams.
Frequently asked questions
How do fake banking pages capture codes as well as passwords?
Some pass your details to the real bank in real time and ask you for the code the bank sends, then use it immediately.
What is the safest way to log in?
Use your bank's official app, or a bookmark you saved yourself, never a link in a message or ad.
I entered my details on a fake page. What now?
Call your bank on the number on your card immediately and change your password from the official app or site.
Sources
- How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams, 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
