Is this SMS from my bank real, or is it phishing?
Treat any SMS that asks you to click a link, call a number in the message or share a PIN, password or one-time PIN as phishing. Your bank never asks for your login details or an OTP by SMS, phone or WhatsApp, and never asks you to move money to a "safe account".
Phishing SMSes copy the bank's name and tone and create urgency: your card is blocked, your account is under attack, approve this now. The link leads to a copy of the bank's login page. The "fraud department" that then phones you is the scammer.
What to do
- Do not click. Open your banking app yourself and look for any notification there.
- Phone the bank on the number printed on your card, not the number in the SMS.
- Never read an OTP to anyone, even someone who says they are from the bank.
- Never move money to another account because someone told you yours is at risk.
- If you clicked and entered details, phone the bank's fraud line immediately and change your passwords.
Frequently asked questions
- The SMS appeared in the same thread as my real bank SMSes. Is it real then?
- Not necessarily. Sender names can be faked so the message lands in the same thread. Judge the content, not the thread.
Want to know if there are warning signs about the person you're chatting to? Veritaza checks the photos, the messages, the number, the email address, the name and the ID document, for R99.
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