ASB warning customers of bank impersonation scam

ASB is alerting customers to an increase in fraudulent activity involving scammers making cold calls and pretending to be bank staff.

Scammers are contacting people by phone, claiming to be from the bank's fraud team and saying there is suspicious activity on the customer's account. They then ask the customer for personal and banking details including login details, dates of birth and access codes, in order to access their account.

ASB Acting Chief Operating Officer Gerard Graham says the bank is taking the scam activity seriously and acting quickly to warn customers.

"These scammers are persistent. They're also highly sophisticated and so come across as credible when trying to convince customers to hand over their online banking credentials.

"If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from ASB and you are unsure, ask for a Caller Check. This allows us to send a secure message directly to your ASB Mobile Banking App so you can verify you are speaking with us before sharing any information. If in doubt, hang up and call us back on one of our publicly listed numbers.

"Regardless of where you bank, protecting yourself from scams starts with staying informed."

Mr Graham says customers should be aware that while ASB's fraud team may on occasion call customers to verify unusual transactions, the bank will never:

• Ask for banking passwords, PINs, or any codes the bank sends to your phone
• Ask for a full credit card number, especially not the CVC
• Ask customers to purchase gift cards, set up cryptocurrency accounts, or transfer funds to keep their money safe
• Ask customers to download software or for remote access to their device
  

ASB is urging any customer who believes their account may have been compromised to contact the bank immediately on 0800 ASB FRAUD (), or if calling from overseas, or to visit their local branch.