The bank fraud department callback
A text or call warns of a suspicious transfer on your account and gives you a number to call immediately.
Red flags
If you hear or read any of these, stop and check with someone.
- The number to call is supplied in the message itself
- An exact, alarming amount you do not recognize
- You are told not to hang up until it is resolved
- You are asked to move your money to a "safe account" they nominate
- They ask you to read out a code that was just texted to you
What to do
- Hang up and call the number printed on the back of your own bank card.
- Wait five minutes, or use a different phone, before you call back.
- Never move money to an account somebody tells you is safe. Banks do not do this.
- Never read out a verification code. Anyone asking for one is trying to get into your account.
- Check your balance through your own app or by visiting a branch.
The safe account does not exist
This is the most damaging version. You are told your money is at risk and must be moved immediately to a protected account, and the details of that account are read out to you over the phone.
No bank operates this way. There is no such thing as a safe account you must transfer into. The account belongs to the caller.
Why you should pause before calling back
On older landlines, a caller could stay connected after you hung up, so your next call reached them again rather than your bank. Waiting five minutes, or using a cell phone instead, removes that risk.
Codes are keys
The six-digit code your bank texts you is the last lock on your account. It exists specifically so that knowing your password is not enough. Anybody asking you to read it out, for any reason, is trying to get past that lock.
Your bank will never ask for it. Neither will the police, and neither will a fraud department.
Last updated Sep 7, 2026, 5:02 PM. Free to print and hand out. No permission needed.