Phishing Scam Alert
The Central Bank of Malta has been informed that a new phishing attempt is circulating which is aimed at getting confidential bank account information. Messages purporting to be sent by the Central Bank of Malta direct the recipient to a phishing site. This approach is a scam – as the Bank does not issue cards or offer public customer accounts, or request such information for cards issued by or customer accounts held with credit institutions. Anyone receiving such correspondence should always proceed with caution and should report any suspicious letters to the relevant authorities.
_______________________________________________________________
The Central Bank of Malta has received several reports from Malta residents who received scam calls via VIBER, WHATSAPP and other messaging systems and would like to warn the public to be on their guard.
The caller profile shows up as the Central Bank of Malta – even though the number is not linked at all with CBM, may not appear, or may be a foreign number – and the recipient is told that their ‘account number or other personal information are needed’ in order to solve some problem. Another similar call was linked to a competition, asking people to confirm their account number in order to claim a prize.
Please note that the Central Bank of Malta is not a commercial bank and does not offer bank accounts to the public.
The public should be on the lookout and should never divulge information about their accounts or PIN numbers to anyone over the phone.