Bank impersonation scams

Common scripts used to impersonate a bank's fraud department, and what a real bank will never ask for.

By AlertaSpam Security Team. Published August 7, 2026

A typical bank-impersonation call or text opens with a supposed suspicious transaction — 'press 1 to confirm, press 2 to deny' — or a claim that your account has been compromised and needs immediate action. The urgency is the point: it's designed to stop you from pausing to verify.

A frequent follow-up is a request to move your money to a 'safe account' the caller sets up, supposedly to protect it from the fraud they just described. This is never something a real bank does — moving funds to a new account is not a fraud-prevention step your bank would ever ask you to personally carry out.

Real banks will not ask for your full card PIN, will not ask you to read out a one-time passcode you just received, and will not ask you to install remote-access software during an unsolicited call.

If you're unsure whether a contact is genuine, hang up and call your bank back using the number on your card or their official app — never a number given to you during the call or in a text message.