Warning of fraud impersonating bank staff to support biometrics

From July 1, 2024, implementing Decision No. 2345/QD-NHNN dated December 18, 2023 of the State Bank of Vietnam, banks will deploy biometric authentication for some types of online transactions.

According to a representative of Vietcombank, taking advantage of the situation where some customers had difficulty updating their biometric information, scammers impersonated bank employees and contacted customers to request "support" with the installation in order to appropriate customers' assets and information...

Vietcombank said that some common fraud methods being used by criminals include contacting customers by calling, texting, making friends via social networks (Zalo, Facebook, etc.) to guide them in collecting biometric information; creating misleading nicknames such as “Bank staff,” “Customer support,” etc. and interacting with customer comments under posts on the bank’s official social networking site to ask customers to contact them privately (inbox) to lure them into fraudulently obtaining banking service information.

In addition, the subjects ask customers to provide personal information, bank account information, citizen identification card images, customer facial images... to get support, the subjects can even request video calls to collect more voices, gestures; ask customers to access strange links to download and install applications to support biometric collection on the phone...

After obtaining customer information, the subjects will proceed to appropriate money in the customer's bank account.

Vietcombank representative confirmed that the bank does not ask customers to provide personal information via channels such as phone calls, SMS, email, chat software (Zalo, Viber, Facebook messenger...). Therefore, customers absolutely do not click on links or provide information.,Account security, digital banking services (login name, password, OTP code), card services (card number, OTP code), account information or any other banking service security information, personal information.

Customers should not share personal information, banking service information, banking transaction information, etc. on social networks to avoid being taken advantage of by scammers impersonating banks/bank officials to contact, request support or request information to commit fraud, defraud and appropriate money in customer accounts.

Also according to Vietcombank representative, in case of difficulty in updating biometric information or performing biometric authentication with online transactions according to regulations, customers can do it in the following ways: Refer to the instructions for collecting biometric information on the bank's website; refer to the Support >> FAQ section on VCB Digibank or the FAQ section about the biometric collection process on Vietcombank website; go to the nearest Vietcombank transaction point to receive direct support from bank staff.

“To use banking services safely and effectively, Vietcombank recommends that customers always follow the principles of safe transactions that Vietcombank regularly updates in the Safe Transactions section on the bank's official website,” Vietcombank's announcement emphasized.