You feel a gentle buzz in the palm of your hand, where your phone lays resting. In a split second your ears hear a moderate ping. A business transaction occurred and you know it’s a credit alert.
This is the kind of alert everyone looks forward to. It's a different kind of happiness you get when money enters your account.
For some though, this hasn’t been the case. Imagine hearing that beautiful ping and parting with what you gave during a transaction. Only to find out it was all a scam. Total disaster!
You never thought they could fake a bank alert, especially not a popular bank like Eco Bank. Well, they can in this day and age. Scammers and fraudsters hopped on fake SMS sending applications and software. They have been generating fake credit alert messages ever since, swindling so many.
To prevent this from happening to you, here are a few tips you can use to determine if an Eco Bank credit alert is genuine. A sample Eco Bank credit alert is included below to help.
Ways to Check the Authentication of your Eco Bank Credit Alert
01. Sender ID:
Short for Sender Identification. This is the name of the contacts on your device. Unidentified contacts will have no name and appear as the phone number of that person. The Sender ID for Eco Bank is “ECOBANK”. This is the contact name you should see every time you receive a credit alert from Eco Bank. Fraudsters will try to replicate it but if it’s any different then it is not from your bank.
02. Check the URL of any Links in the Message:
Examine any links present in the SMS credit alert. Banks will not include links to pages that will ask for your details. But, don’t click the link to find out. If the link doesn’t match your bank's web address then it’s a fraud. If the link reads only “HTTP//” and the “S” is missing (HTTPS), it would mean the link is not secure and the message is fake.
03. Credit Alert Layout:
Every bank has a different layout or format for writing its credit alerts. Thus, this is an easy way to know a real Eco bank Credit alert. A sample of an Eco bank credit alert is shown below:
Credit:NGN20,000.00
A/C:***7869
NIP FROM 1237890567/ONLINE PAYMENT
15-Mar-20
Bal:NGN50,000.00
If the format does not match, then the alert is counterfeit.
04. Check Available Balance:
Take a close look at the balance figures recorded in the credit alert. Is it equal to what you have in your account? If the numbers are different you can be sure it's a scam. These frauds only have the option of falsifying the numbers when they get to that point because they don’t have the slightest knowledge of how much is contained in your account. So even though they might get other details right, this is one sure thing they will fail.
05. Account Balance Confirmation:
If you’re still not convinced about the authenticity of a credit alert you receive, it’s better to give yourself peace of mind and avoid making a silly mistake that could cost you money by checking if the payment has shown in your account balance. The USSD code to check your account balance for Eco bank is *326*0#. You can also use the Eco bank Mobile App to do this as well. Both these services are available for you if you subscribed to them with your bank.
CONCLUSION
Though Bulk SMS services and Messaging apps are misused by fraudulent ones to trick people for their gain, they started as legitimate ways for getting genuine messages to people and they still are! Especially for marketing purposes. You can inform clients and business associates of new products, send promotional and appreciative messages and ask for feedback about the services you provide all with this tool. It is still one of the cheapest ways of business marketing.
At SmartSMSSolutions, you can give your business and personal communication a huge boost using Bulk SMS, voice, Email and other services all at a low cost. Sign up for a free account at smartsmssolutions!
Well, the only thing left for you now is to apply this newfound knowledge. You don't need to be scammed before you learn. If you heed the steps outlined, you will be able to detect a fake Eco Bank credit alert and identify scammers.