Scammers often send fake text messages that look like they are from your bank. This is called phishing — a scam that tries to trick you into giving away your personal information or money. Learning to spot these messages is not hard at all. Follow the steps below, and you will learn to tell a real bank message from a fake one. Do not worry if something feels unclear at first. Just go slowly, step by step.
How to recognize a fake text message: step by step
- Do not tap any link in the text message right away. A link is a short web address inside the message. When you tap it with your finger, a page opens in your internet browser. Scammers build fake pages that look almost identical to your bank's real website.
- Look at who sent the message. Real banks usually send texts under a short bank name instead of an ordinary phone number. But keep in mind: scammers can fake the sender's name too. So the sender's name alone is not proof that a message is real.
- Notice whether the message is rushing you. Phrases like 'your account will be blocked in 10 minutes' or 'you must act immediately' are a warning sign. Scammers want you to feel scared and act without thinking.
- Check the text for mistakes. Odd spacing, strange letters, unusual formatting, or wording that reads like a machine translation are all signs of a fake message.
- Check whether the message asks for your personal information. If the text asks you to enter your PIN (the secret four-digit code for your card), your full card number, your CVV code (the three digits on the back of your card), or a one-time text message code — this is a scam. A real bank never asks for this information by text message or by phone.
- Look closely at the web address in the link, if you can see it. Compare it to your bank's official website address. Even one changed letter in the address means it is a fake website.
- Do not call any phone number given in a suspicious text message. If you want to check the message, call the number printed on the back of your bank card instead. This is your bank's official support number.
- Check your account another way. Open your bank's app yourself — find its icon on your phone's screen by hand, instead of tapping a link in the text message.
- Delete the suspicious message, or block the sender. This protects you from further attempts by scammers.
What to do if you already tapped the link or entered your information
If you already tapped a link in a suspicious text message, entered your card details, told someone a one-time code, or noticed that money has disappeared from your account — do not panic. Act quickly, but stay calm.
- Call your bank immediately, using the number printed on the back of your card. Ask them to block your card and account.
- Never call the number from the suspicious text message — only call the number from your card or your bank's official website.
- Never tell anyone your one-time text message code, even if the caller says they work for the bank's security department. A bank never asks you to say this code out loud.
- Change your bank app password if you can access your account from another device.
- Contact the police and report the fraud if money has already been taken from your account.
- Check your account statement in the bank app and write down any suspicious transactions.
Remember this common scam script: someone calls and says they are 'from the bank's security department.' They say your account is at risk, and ask you to read out the code from a text message to 'cancel' the transaction. This is always a scam. One simple rule protects you: hang up the phone, and call your bank yourself using the number on your card.
Quick check: run through this list
If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, the message is fake. Delete it, and do not tap any link inside it.