Vishing

Vishing has become an increasingly popular scam because of its ability to target customers who prefer to interact with either a "live" person or a voice response menu system. Fraudsters are now capitalizing on this weakness to trick unsuspecting customers into giving out personal and banking information.

How vishing works

Vishing is a technique used by fraudsters to steal your personal and financial information through the phone. The fraudsters usually start by sending you an email requesting you to dial a particular number to resolve an issue or to update your personal banking information. The objective is to trick you into believing that you are actually interacting with the bank's interactive voice response system or its customer service officer. By following the instructions given over the phone, you would be tricked into giving out your personal details and financial information.

What you can do to protect yourself:

• Be suspicious when receiving emails directing you to call a certain telephone number to resolve an issue or to update your personal account information
• Contact the bank directly to verify the validity of the email sent to you
• Do not provide any personal or financial information over the phone