Cold calls, ANZ Fraud Team phone impersonation scam
November 2023
We’ve received increased reports of scammers impersonating ANZ bank staff including the ANZ fraud team. Scammers are asking customers to take certain actions – these are detailed in our August and October 2023 alerts.
We’re currently seeing high volumes of customers receiving cold calls from scammers pretending to be from ANZ and instructing them to transfer money to a ’safe’ account to protect it from scammers. Some calls also appear to come from an ANZ phone numbers. These calls are not from ANZ. Do not follow these instructions. Hang up and call the number listed on our website to speak to ANZ staff.
Please be vigilant if you receive an unexpected phone call where the caller may ask you to take immediate action. The scammers appear to have a large amount of personal information already which may have been previously obtained from a phishing email, text or website.
Our fraud team may call customers from time to time to verify unusual transactions. However, we will never ask you:
- For your banking passwords, PINs, or two-factor authentication codes
- For your credit card details
- To transfer money to a 'safe' account, purchase gift cards or set up crypto currency accounts
- To download software or remotely access your device.
Tips to stay safe
Never provide your customer number, two-factor authentication code(s), phone banking PIN or personal banking information to anyone, or grant anyone remote access to your devices – hang up on the call if you’re asked for this information.
Two-factor authentication codes are an important layer of protection which you should never disclose verbally. Scammers will often say they need a two-factor authentication code to complete a particular action e.g. to reverse a transaction. Two-factor authentication codes are never required to reverse fraud transactions – hang up on calls immediately if you are asked for this information.
Always contact ANZ via one of our phone numbers or other contact methods listed on our website.
If you receive an unexpected or suspicious text message or email, don’t click on any links or download any attachments.
Never provide or confirm your credit card details, Internet Banking login details, or two-factor authentication codes, whether via a link in an email or text message, or in response to a phone call you’ve received out of the blue.