Since the coronavirus pandemic began a few months back, fraudulent acts have spread like wildfire. There have been widespread reports of people who have either received an email, text message, or a phone call from scammers disguised as government officials. They claim to have been sent by the government to distribute COVID-19 relief funds and as such, request for the Bank Verification Number (BVN), OTP, PIN, and other personal bank details from unsuspecting people.
In a bid to protect account holders from the looming scam, the biggest retail bank in Africa, Access Bank, who has been at the forefront of the fight against fraud has swung into action, debunking such emails and claims and educating individuals on how to safeguard their accounts from any security breach.
The bank took to social media and other platforms to give insights on the scandalous activities of fraudsters. In order to stay safe at this time, Access bank has urged customers to do the following: Use strong passwords, not share their card number, password, PIN, BVN, OTP with anyone, be careful about using unsecured wifi connections, only use reputable websites when making purchases, check their account and bank statement regularly to ensure there are no unusual activities on it. For those who have lost their phones, they can following the following steps to keep their accounts secure:
- Dial *901*911# from any phone
- Input the registered phone number on the account to be blacklisted
- USSD profile will be deactivated and blacklisted automatically
There is a high level of ease with online financial transactions but that ease is also accompanied by a high level of risk. When these measures are followed judiciously, it reduces the risk of being a victim of identity theft and will help one notice instantly if suspicious actions occur.
Access Bank is also encouraging customers to record fraudulent phone conversations and send them to stopfraud@accessbankplc.com in order for them to expose the scam patterns of these fraudsters. Remember that Access Bank will never ask for your confidential account details. Call the bank on 01-2712005 or email contactcenter@accessbankplc.com to report any suspected scam. You can connect with the bank’s social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more tips on how to keep your account safe
