NCB clears air on viral voice note after $31,000 fraud claim

In the now-viral voice note being shared on instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, the customer recounted how she unwittingly divulged personal and private information to a fraudster, who called purporting to be an employee of NCB’s BPO service provider, which assists with providing customer service to the bank’s customers. NCB reassures customers that allegations that NCB has ‘turned over’ customers’ banking information to a call centre are false and misleading, as the Bank is unwavering in its commitment to protecting its customers’ data.

“It is unfortunate that so many banking customers worldwide continue to fall victim to scams like vishing, phishing and smishing,” observed Dane Nicholson, Manager of special investigations in NCB’s fraud prevention unit. “This is where fraudsters are calling, emailing and texting them, and getting them to disclose their personal details, which are then used to gain access to their bank accounts. These fraudsters are always being creative, and finding new ways to fleece unsuspecting customers out of their money, but the strategy is usually the same. So we need customers to be more vigilant in protecting themselves and their money.”

Nicholson noted: “We need customers to understand that they should always be wary of unsolicited emails, calls and texts raising alarms about their accounts, and requesting their personal, private information to ‘fix’ the issue. This is always a red flag!” Nicholson further noted that: “NCB does not send customers emails or text messages requesting them to click on any link to take action. NCB maintains a no click policy so that it is easy for customers to identify and protect themselves against phishing and smishing attacks.

According to Nicholson, neither NCB nor its service providers would ever contact a customer to request information such as their user name, PIN, token code or answers to typical security questions like ‘date of birth’, or ‘mother’s maiden name’.

“While we ask customers to verify their identity by answering security questions when they call our customer care centre, we never make unsolicited calls or send messages requesting their privateinformation. Customers have to call us first, or request a call-back from us, which will only come from our approved customer contact numbers,” Nicholson added.