Police renew scam warning as fraudsters continue targeting Rock

Detectives from the Royal Gibraltar Police’s Economic Crime Unit again warned the public about telephone scams following reports on Friday of fraudsters continuing to target Gibraltar by telephone, claiming to represent bank fraud teams.  

In an attempt to secure a victim’s personal banking details, the fraudsters state 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,” the RGP said.  

“This is just one of various tactics adopted by scammers.”  

A spokesperson for the RGP’s Economic Crime Unit added: “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 also encouraged people 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. 

It issued numerous pieces of advice to keep in mind.

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

If a caller avoids answering reasonable questions and/or refuses to provide you information, terminate the call.

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

Never grant a caller remote access to devices such as your computer, laptop or mobile phone.

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

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. 

Anyone who believes they may have fallen victim to this type of crime should contact their bank immediately and then report the matter to police.