Tista’ taqra bil- Malti.
Bank of Valletta has issued a cautionary alert to its customers, advising them to stay vigilant against a series of emerging scams currently in circulation.
The bank has identified various fraudulent SMS messages containing links to deceptive websites, claiming that customers’ debit or credit cards are blocked or that their passwords have been locked. The messages request victims to click on the provided links to provide their cards or passwords.
Some scams take the form of alerts regarding transaction authorisations, urging customers to input their card details to cancel unauthorised transactions. Additionally, certain SMS messages falsely warn customers that their mobile signature is restricted, directing them to a deceptive site posing as a BOV internet or mobile login to release the signature.
Crucially, some of these deceptive SMS messages appear in the same thread as legitimate messages sent by BOV, making it harder for customers to discern the fraudulent ones. Fraudsters are also employing email communication to deceive potential victims.
These scams share a common objective: tricking victims into taking ‘urgent action’ and divulging sensitive financial information such as bank account numbers, passwords, card details, or authorizing financial transactions.
BOV reiterated that it never sends SMS messages with links to websites. Customers are strongly advised against clicking on any links, even if they seemingly appear in legitimate bank SMS threads, and should refrain from sharing sensitive information.
The bank explicitly states that it will never request full account or card numbers, card CVV details (the 3 digits on the back of the card), card PINs, internet or mobile banking passwords, codes, signatures, one-time passwords, or multi-factor authentication. BOV employees will never solicit information that leads customers to execute financial transactions over the phone.
In response to these scams, BOV encourages the public to exercise constant vigilance and caution. Customers are urged to promptly contact the bank if they harbor any doubts. Dialing the number 2131 2020 will connect them to the authentic BOV Customer Service Centre, where they can verify any calls or SMS messages they may have received.

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