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The Bank of Israel and the Israel Police call on the public to take note of attempts of fraud and impersonation, and bring to the public’s attention that criminal factors try to carry out, from time to time, fraudulent activities with the goal of taking money from customers deceitfully by impersonating, among others, representatives of the Bank of Israel, commercial banks and credit card companies, and the Israel Police. At times, the hostile factor sends forged certificates showing a false identity, such as a police officer’s document, or a letter “on behalf of” the Bank of Israel (an example is attached for illustration).

 

The attempts at fraud are mainly aimed at senior citizens and weaker populations, by “innocently” writing to them and acquiring their trust. The communication is made through a variety of communication channels such as telephone conversations, sending SMSs, and sending email. The notices are sent from an address that at first glance belongs to the entity that they are impersonating. The fraud uses a forged address or phone number that is made to look like that of the commercial bank or the Bank of Israel, and at times the notices include a link to a fake Internet site made to look like the real one.

 

After contact is made between the impersonator and the account owner, the impersonator asks the account owner to send him or to give him personal details or financial information that allows him to withdraw money from his account. The information that the hostile element requests can include: personal details, account details, credit card and personal verification code that the account owner receives, or by a credit card on the mobile phone.

 

The public is requested to increase its alertness and to avoid sending personal and classified data, and even to enhance the awareness of the senior citizens among it. We note that the Bank of Israel, commercial banks, and credit card companies will not contact citizens with a request to provide personal and classified details or financial details, including means of authentication and identification that were sent to an enquirer, such as an SMS containing a personal code.

 

If you are concerned that you have fallen victim to a fraud event, we recommend contacting the security department of the banking corporation or the Bank of Israel and the police as soon as possible.

 

Here are several emphases that help in dealing with attempts at fraud:

  • Provide identification details only after calling back the banking corporation’s phone center at a phone number that you found yourself on the bank’s website.
  • Do not connect to a bank account via an SMS or email that you receive.
  • Check the website address to which you are connecting (confirm that it is spelled correctly), particularly if you are connecting after finding the address via the search engine.
  • Do not provide credit card details or an identification code that you were sent via a link you received via SMS or email to complete details. The bank or credit card company will not ask for the details of the code in a telephone conversation that the customer did not initiate.
  • If you made a mistake and you suspect that you sent details to a hostile element, contact the banking corporation immediately and report it.
  • Periodically check the activity and transactions in your account in order to identify suspicious transactions or discrepancies.
  • If there is a doubt—there is no doubt, it is better not to respond to a notice, conversation, or to click on a link before checking with the bank or relevant company.

 

Within the framework of the Bank of Israel’s steps to enhance the awareness, the Banking Supervision Department will carry out the “digital fraud handling awareness week” and invites the public to participate in the talks to increase awareness about dealing with the issue.