Always Be On The Lookout To Avoid Scams

As your Mutual Bank, we strive to educate and operate vigilantly to prevent our Members from falling victims to scams or frauds. In the past few years, we have advised Members about different types of scams. The latest scam is where the caller identifies themselves as a representative of the "Fraud Department", "Visa Fraud Monitoring Team" or "Fraud team in Collins Street Melbourne" to coerce Members to provide their personal information, card number and transactional data.

Most recently,the fraud callers are targeting bushfire victims who are already suffering significant personal impact from fires and evacuations, demanding they disclose card details, PINs and internet banking login details. Please be aware of scam phone callers falsely claiming to represent your Bank's fraud monitoring service.

To prevent our Members from being scammed, here are our top tips to help you avoid becoming a victim.

• A genuine call from the fraud department or the Bank will only ever ask you to confirm the last four digits of the Visa Card affected.
• Do not trust the information provided by the scammer. Any information provided is likely to be false like their contact number and designed to create an impression of believability.
• Always know who you are dealing with. Avoid responding to unsolicited and unexpected contact. You have the right to ask the caller questions to assess the legitimacy of the call. If you are uncomfortable with the caller, cease the conversation.
• Do not provide your banking details to anyone over the phone. We will NEVER ask for your contact details over SMS or email. If possible, collect the caller’s name, phone number and their position and then call us on 1300 36 2000 immediately.
• Never click on URL links or open attachments in suspicious emails or SMS.
• Just because your name is in the SMS or email, it does not mean it is contact from the Bank. Always double-check directly with us, your Bank.
• Always go to our internet banking directly, do not use the links provided on the messages.

If you receive a call from a real fraud monitoring service like Vigil, they require limited Member information to confirm high-risk transactions. The Fraud Operations Team will always encourage Members to contact our Member Service Centre on 1300 36 2000 if you are ever unsure or uncomfortable with the legitimacy of the call.

To know more about types of scams, click here.

Back to all articles