Spike in number of phone scam calls impersonating OCBC over past few weeks

Spike in number of phone scam calls impersonating OCBC over past few weeks
Posted 18 Jul 2016 13:24 Updated 18 Jul 2016 13:30

SINGAPORE: A spike in the number of phone scams where OCBC Bank is being impersonated has been observed over the past few weeks, the bank said.

In a media release on Friday (Jul 15), OCBC said it is aware of the scams and has provided additional training to frontline staff on this matter.

According to OCBC, individuals - customers and the general public - typically receive an automated voice call prompting a response. “These calls have impersonated courier companies and in an evolving modus operandi, have also claimed to be from banks including OCBC,” the media release said.

The bank also said the caller’s number is either a truncated 6 to 7 digit number that looks like it is originating from outside Singapore, a private number (no caller ID shown), or in some cases, may even appear as OCBC’s official contact number (+6563633333) or some variation of it (e.g. 06563633333).

Individuals would be transferred to a Mandarin-speaking person with a non-local accent, should they follow the instruction to key in a number, the bank said. This person would ask for the individual’s personal or banking information including:

Name & NRIC
Contact details
Account number
Account balance
Credit card number and the 3-digit CVV number found on the back of the card
Serial number of hardware token in cases involving installation of certain mobile applications
To assess whether the calls are legitimate, OCBC said the bank does not initiate automated voice calls that require an interactive response.

“When initiating communications with customers and members of the public, OCBC adopts English as it is the primary business language and the most widely understood language in Singapore,” it said. “OCBC representatives will typically switch to another language only if the customer has shown or indicated a preference for a language other than English.”

The bank also said while staff may pose questions to customers to verify their identity, questions related to security information such as PIN number, token number, credit card CVV number and account numbers would never be asked.

It added: “OCBC will not request the customer to make any funds transfer to another bank account. All funds transfers are initiated by customers.”

If customers or members of the public are in doubt about the authenticity of the caller or phone call, they are advised to terminate the call and contact the bank at 1800 363 3333 (+65 6363 3333 if overseas) to verify, OCBC said.

- CNA/xk

- wong chee tat :)