Detectives from the Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) Economic Crime Unit (ECU) are reinforcing their recent telephone scam warning issued to the public, following reports received today of scammers continuing to target members of the public by telephone, claiming to represent their bank’s fraud team. In an attempt to secure a victim’s personal banking details, the caller(s) will state that they have noticed fraudulent activity within a customer’s bank account, asking them to log into their on-line banking and confirm the customer’s One Time Password (OTP) to the caller. Scammers may sometimes adopt a practice known as “Caller ID spoofing,” whereby the scammer is able to conceal their true number ID, and display a different one to mislead a potential victim that the call is originating from a trusted organisation. This is just one of various tactics adopted by scammers. 

A spokesperson for the RGP’s Economic Crime Unit stated: “You should never disclose any sensitive personal or financial details over the phone, particularly your PIN number, Username/Password, or your One Time Password (OTP) when logging into your online bank account. Banks already hold this type of information, so will never contact you asking for this specific information if you are existing customer.”

The RGP would also like to encourage everyone in the community to continue sharing fraud warnings and advice as widely as possible within the community, especially with senior family members and others who might be at particular risk:

Ø  If you are suspicious about the identity of a person contacting you by telephone, ask questions of them.

Ø  If a caller avoids answering questions and/or refuse to provide you reasonable information, terminate the call;

Ø  Never provide your PIN, account password, personal or other banking details to anyone who contacts you by telephone;

Ø  Never grant a caller remote access to devices such as your computer, laptop of mobile phone;

Ø  Don’t let scammers pressure you – scammers often create a high-pressure situation to force you into making quick decisions;

Ø When in doubt, hang up and contact your bank by either visiting your bank in person or calling them using trusted contact details available on the rear of your bank card or other official correspondence you may already be in possession of.

If you believe you may have fallen victim to this type of crime, contact your bank immediately and then report the matter to police.