The Tribune

Scotiabank Bahamas yesterday warned customers not to provide confidential banking information to persons who call claiming there is an issue with their account.

The bank, in a statement, said it was aware of so-called “phishing” phone calls being made to clients. It explained that the perpetrators claim there is an issue with the customer’s account in a bid to deceive them into handing over personal details such as account numbers, passwords and access codes.

The Canadian-owned bank, describing such calls as unauthorised and fraudulent, explained that “phishing” is a type of fraud where criminals use fake messages and scare tactics to bait customers into providing information giving them access to their bank account.

“If you receive any message like these, do not respond,” Scotiabank said. “Please remember that Scotiabank will never contact customers asking for confidential information such as your ATM PIN or any passwords. PINs and passwords must be kept confidential and not shared with anyone.”