As part of its continued commitment to educate and protect customers from e-banking fraud, Africa’s largest retail bank, Access Bank Plc, has launched an awareness campaign aimed at sensitizing customers on measures they can take to protect themselves.
The campaign, themed ‘Banks Don’t Ask’, focuses on four key activities that account for most fraud incidents in Nigeria, phishing, SIM card fraud, ATM fraud and POS fraud.
According to a statement from the bank, the rate of phishing, SIM card fraud, ATM fraud and POS fraud in the country has tripled in the past few years. Also, the sophistication with which these activities are carried out has evolved, resulting in unsuspecting customers being highly susceptible to these criminal activities.
Access Banks Executive Director (ED), Retail Banking, Victor Etuokwu stated: “In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the rate of internet-based and technology-perpetrated fraud”.
“We want to ensure that our customers are not only protected but are also aware of the tactics employed by fraudsters. Access Bank will never request for personal banking information such as your 16-digit card number, password, PIN, BVN, CVV or One-Time Password (OTP). So, customers are also advised to never share this information with anyone even if they claim to be from the Bank,” he added.
The bank encourages customers to report suspicious activities via phone calls, emails or text messages. “To prevent SIM card fraud in cases of lost or stolen devices, customers can simply *901*911# from any phone deactivate their USSD profile,” it concluded.
