Fraud and Fraud Protection Methods

Scammers make commercials to sell goods or services that do not really exist or are not theirs, or they copy existing reputable websites to look like a genuine company.

So, how could this happen to you?

• Scammers create fake websites that look entirely genuine.
• Scammers may ask you to make payments directly into their bank account via EFT or wire transfer. However, the goods you have paid for will never arrive.
• Scammers may ask you to pay using your card information. But what they are really going to do is take your card information and steal from you.

Stop a moment and think.

Use well-known and trusted search engines to check if the online shopping site you are using is legitimate and real -- use the best results (not the lists of ads). Never trust or open any link in an e-mail you are not expecting. Be wary of sites selling goods at prices too low to be true.

What Should You Do?

How can I tell if the site I am making payments to is trustworthy?

• Before doing any shopping online, do some research into the seller to check if they are genuine or not and avoid sellers or shopping sites that are given low review scores by other users.
• Use 3D Secure/GO Secure Payment options when making payments for online shopping using your credit or debit card. These measures will keep you digitally secure.

Here, scammers will use pretense (police, prosecutor, bank), attraction (campaign, chip points, fee rebate), or their powers of persuasion to get you to divulge information or make the transactions they want.

So, how could this happen to you?

• Scammers will try to scare you into making money transfers, typing your PIN, or revealing your ID information by identifying themselves as public employees (police, prosecutor, judge, etc.) and claiming that you are associated with a terrorist organization, or that your bank account has been used by a terrorist organization, etc.
• You might get an unexpected call about a problem with your debit or credit card, or about a rebate.
• They might ask you to confirm payment or bank account details so you can win chip points or get a rebate.
• They can be very convincing and make not-to-be-missed offers.
• They will tell you this offer is valid only for you.
• To gain your trust, they can cite your credit card number, which they obtained from somewhere else, or banking transactions you have made.
• They can keep you on the phone for a long time to stall you.

Stop a moment and think.

Offers from numbers you don’t recognize that look very attractive and that they insist on are either very risky or scams. Furthermore, no public or bank employee will ever ask you for your personal information or money.

What Should You Do?

• If they ask for your card or account information, hang up immediately. Never share this information with anyone over the phone and never type it.
• Your Akbank Direct PIN and the Mobile Key set to your phone via SMS plus your card PINs are unique to you. Never tell them to anyone and never type them.
• If you mistakenly share your information, call your bank immediately. Even after their bogus conversation with you, phishing scammers can intercept the calls you make and interfere with them. For example, you might think you are reporting this to your bank but you are actually talking to the scammers. So, when calling your bank never call back the number that calls you and always call your bank’s call center/customer support line by dialing the number yourself. Remember: The numbers for the Akbank call center are 444 2525 / 0850 222 2525. Numbers starting with 444 are not preceded by an area code.

Scammers can pose as account owners by hacking social accounts. After hacking an account, they can contact the true account owner’s friends and family and take advantage of their friendship or relationship to ask for money or credit card or bank details. There are many ways they can do this.

For example;

• Scammers can contact you after hacking the social media account of someone you know and say they need money urgently for some emergency.
• They can say they have had an accident and need money to pay the hospital bill.
• They can ask you to transfer money into an account to pay these costs or ask you to share your bank details.

What Should You Do?

• Always check to see if an urgent message has come from a hacked account. Talk to the actual person to see if the request is genuine or not because the person calling you might be a scammer pretending to be that person.
• To learn how to keep your social media profiles secure, read the security pages on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. (For example, you can sync your account to your cell phone to be notified when a session is launched from different devices or to rescue your account by taking rapid action if it is hacked.)

Have you received an e-mail from a known person or company asking you to do something?

Stop a moment and think -- might this be a scam?

• E-mail scams are a very common form of scam. Scammers using this system may try to manipulate you using various methods. For example:
• A genuine-looking e-mail may arrive from a person or company you know.
• This e-mail might ask you for more information or to click a link for a money rebate, or cargo tracking, or an unpaid bill, etc.
• It might ask you to download something. The file you are asked to download from the link may look like a normal file but it contains malicious software (malware).
• This software installs itself on your computer or phone and allows the scammer to access you personal information, account details, or money.
• Lastly, they can mark e-mails as urgent or important and get you to move your financial traffic with an e-mail owner you have done business with in the past to a different account.

What Should You Do?

• Never click e-mail links you are not sure of. Delete the e-mail and make sure to block the address -- if you do this, that account can no longer send you e-mails.
• Make sure your computer is protected with regularly updated antivirus and anti-sypware software and a good firewall.
• Be wary of phone calls that try to obtain your personal information.
• If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be a bank employee, or the police, or an employee from a known company and if they ask you do disclose information about yourself or your bank account, consider that this call might be from a scammer “who is trying to seize your personal information.” Contact the police immediately.
• Pay no attention to e-mails marked urgent, important, or attention asking you to transfer money or stating that someone you transfer money to regularly has changed their account information. You must contact that person using their contact phone number and confirm this.

Did an SMS from a number you don’t recognize arrive? Or from a company asking you for something or to do something? This could be a “scam” SMS.

Smishing

“Smishing” comes from the combination of SMS (Short Message Service) and phishing. Using this scamming method, scammers send you a link and try to direct you to a fake phishing site.

Here is an example:

• You get an unexpected SMS.
• This message includes a link to a website and asks you to click on that link.
• When you click on that link or call that number, you are asked to disclose such personal information as your Akbank Direct Online PIN, or to type it.

What Should You Do?

• Definitely do not click on any link from a number that does not belong to Akbank. Go to Akbank Direct Online via the “www.akbank.com” address. Do not enter your personal information, PIN, card numbers, or card > PINs on the pages you access by clicking on the links sent by SMS or e-mail.
• Unless you are calling your bank, never share important information such as your card numbers or PINs that could be used maliciously, and never type them on your phone’s keypad.

Remote access scams are when scammers take control of your computer by convincing you to let them have access to it. This can be done from a long way away.

So, how could this happen to you?

• Your phone rings unexpectedly -- the caller claims to a technical support technician, or to be from a major telecommunications or computer company.
• They tell you there are technical problems with your computer and that to fix it they need to access your computer remotely.
• They ask you to purchase some software or to call a service point to have your computer fixed.
• They ask you for your personal information and your bank or credit card details.
• The caller can be very insistent.

Stop a moment and think. If you receive such a call, hang up immediately.

What Should You Do?

• Unless you are making the phone call or the call comes from a source you trust, never, ever share your personal information, payment details, or online account information with anyone over the phone.
• Make sure your computer is protected with regularly updated antivirus and anti-sypware software and a good firewall. Do your research first and buy software only from a source you trust. Never download anything onto your cellphone or tablet from sites that are not approved for your device (Google Play, AppStore, Windows Store, etc.). Apps downloaded from sites other than these app stores could infect your phone/table with malware.

Scammers reaching the customers of financial institutions through various websites (adult content, friendship, betting, etc.) can persuade people to download various files, photographs, or apps onto their devices via these sites.

Or they can obtain access to people’s devices by offering harmless-looking apps that address current topics (virus test, exchange rate converter, games, etc.) that they promote via smartphone app stores.

These apps once installed on PCs, laptops, smartphones, or tablets can not only seize financial institution customer PINs, personal data, and one-time keys, they can also prevent the actual person from accessing the banking app.

What Should You Do?

• Always keep your device up to date.
• Install an anti-malware program.
• Never download files, games, apps, etc. from a source you don’t trust.

If this does happen to you, we recommend that you return your device to factory settings immediately without storing any data. You can call the Akbank Banking Center on 444 2525 for all forms of assistance and information.​