Text message fraud | Royal Bank of Scotland (2024)
What to look out for
Criminals sending these texts will try to alarm you
Criminals might try to scare you into believing your bank account has been accessed. They might use capital letters or frightening language to encourage you to act.
Remember that fraudsters have no way of accessing your account, so don’t click any links or reply with personal information. Never reveal the details of PINs, passwords or smartcard codes to anyone via text in any circ*mstances, even if the sender claims to be from the bank or a company you trust.
Our text messages may contain links to our websites, but never links to pages that ask for your Online Banking or full card details.
Example fraudulent message:
“WARNING we’ve noticed some suspicious activity on your account. For your security, your account will be suspended if you do not get in touch. Click this link to contact our fraud team.”
By telling you a specific amount has been withdrawn from your account, fraudsters want to make you panic. Don’t respond to them. Check your bank balance using Online Banking, or our mobile banking app for peace of mind.
Example fraudulent message:
“A withdrawal of £1566.04 has been made from your account. If this wasn’t you, please call the fraud team on XXXX XXX XXXX immediately.”
They’ll often try to rush you
Telling you to “act fast” is one way criminals can get you to act without thinking. They might claim that your account has been accessed at a specific time to make the text message seem genuine, or make you feel responsible by implying you’ve missed important calls or emails from your bank.
Example fraudulent message:
“Our security team need to speak with you urgently. Your bank account was accessed at 14:35PM. If this wasn’t you, please call our fraud team immediately on XXXX XXX XXXX.”
A fraudulent text message can feel genuine because it says a specific device was used to log in to your Online Banking. They may tell you an unauthorised or unknown device was used. We will never ask you to secure your account or click any links via text messages.
Example fraudulent message:
“An unknown device has just been used to log into your bank account. Your account may be at risk. Please visit www.afakelink.com to secure your account immediately.”
They’ll try and sound helpful
Another way a criminal will try to trick you is by using language you’d expect to hear from a bank or a company you trust. They might use friendly words or even include some of the slogans and phrases you’ve come across before.
Example fraudulent message:
“Someone tried to access your account today, but thankfully we stopped them in time. To protect you we’ve put a temporary block on your account. All you need to do is use this secure link to log in: www.afakesite.com. Just follow the helpful steps to unlock your account and reset your password.
Report anything suspicious to us straight away. Together we can fight fraud.”
They may follow up a smishing text with a call
There have been cases where fraudsters send a text and then quickly follow up with a phone call, to make the scam appear more real. When a fraudster uses a phone call to try and trick you into telling them your financial information, it’s known as vishing.
If you've clicked on a suspicious link, run a scan with your antivirus software to check your device for any malicious software. Forward any suspicious texts referring to Royal Bank
Royal Bank
The Royal Bank of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Banca Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a major retail and commercial bank in Scotland. It is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of NatWest Group, together with NatWest (in England and Wales) and Ulster Bank.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Royal_Bank_of_Scotland
We can send text alerts about your accounts to your mobile phone. This gives you another way of keeping track of your finances. You will be automatically enrolled into this service if we have your up-to-date mobile number. Learn how to update your number.
Call us anytime on: 0800 0 288 335 or +44 (0) 131 454 1605 from outside the UK. If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can contact us 24/7 using the Next Generation Text (BGT) Service. If you're Deaf and a BSL user, you can use the SignVideo service.
Contact the bank, government agency, or company that the scam artist is impersonating so it can alert others and work with law enforcement to investigate the activity. Forward smishing messages to short code 7726—which spells “SPAM” on your keypad.
Notifications from our Mobile Banking app can tell you something about your money or your account. There are different types of notifications and you can select which ones you want to receive. For example, we can tell you when money comes in or goes out of your account, or when you make a purchase on your debit card.
Yes, banks may use text messages to help protect accounts and provide convenient messages to customers. The utilization of text messaging varies from bank to bank, so it's important to understand how yours might reach out to you once you agree to receive texts from them.
Notify your bank immediately. For more details, give a missed call on 14440. If someone has fraudulently withdrawn money from your bank account, inform your bank immediately. When you notify the bank, remember to take acknowledgement from your bank.
If you think you've been targeted by criminals, report it. Call the bank using the number on the back of your card, or from the numbers on our website. You can also dial 159 to be connected securely to your bank.
If there's ever a problem with your account, we'll always protect it first then contact you to put things right. We'll never call to tell you to move money to another account. To check that we called you, hang up then dial 159 to talk with us. Scammers will say anything to gain your trust.
You can't get hacked by simply replying to a text. However, engaging with a hacker in any way will make it more likely that you get hacked. They'll find a way to fool you and make you click a link, which is what leads to you getting hacked.
There are many ways spammers get hold of your cell phone number so they can send SMS spam and sales texts: They may use technology to generate numbers automatically — so even if you have a brand-new number, you can still receive both robocalls and robotexts. Social media sites sell your data.
Scammers pose as Amazon, FedEx, or USPS via texts, and ask users for personal information about their package or order. For example, using the FedEx delivery SMS scam, fraudsters send a text that contains a link to “set your delivery preferences.”
Your financial institution will never ask for a CVV or PIN number to verify fraud. Requests to do so, as well as poor spelling or grammar, are telltale signs of a scam. The best way to protect yourself is to say, "Let me call you right back," and then you call the official bank number yourself.
If you did interact with the text message at all, such as clicking a link or replying, be sure to call your bank's phone number for fraud or security issues ASAP. To report the phishing attempt to the FTC, simply forward the message to 7726 (SPAM). You can also report the scam using ReportFraudftc.gov.
Typically, a push message could be a mobile marketing message or an alert of an event happening in the customer's bank account, such as a large withdrawal of funds from an ATM or a large payment involving the customer's credit card, etc.
Suppose you've made a transaction from your bank. Immediately the bank notifies you by giving you a text message. This message will appear on your mobile and you'll get a notification about it.
Low balance alerts let you know when your bank account balance drops to a predetermined amount, which could be $20, $500 or another selected amount. Depending on the bank, these alerts can come in the form of an email, text message or push notification — or all three.
Marketing and promotions: Financial institutions may use SMS to send promotional offers and special deals to customers. Mobile payments: bank SMS can also be used as a payment method.
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