Dubious individuals are reaping plenty from fake SMS alerts. You as a business owner must know how to protect yourself from their trap and avoid falling prey. If you particularly bank with First Bank, then this is for you.
How to tell the difference between a real First Bank debit alert and a fake one.
- The sender's I.D should be ‘First Bank’.
- Your debit alert message should be in your message thread. This means that you should be able to find all previous alerts both credit and debit in the same thread, not scattered.
- Scrutinize your total balance, do the maths and make sure the figures add up.
- A First Bank debit alert should be free of spelling or typographic errors. If you notice otherwise, it's a fake debit alert.
Below is an example of what a genuine First Bank debit alert should look like:
Debit 302xxxx567
Amt: NGN3000.00
Date: 10-JAN-2022 15:47:15
Desc: FIP: MB:VMB: Nails and hair/FBN MOBILE
Bal: NGN54,546.35
Fake alerts are the side effects of operating a cashless policy and it seems to be on the rise daily. So far, banks and the banking sector, in general, do not seem to be able to do anything to stop this menace. You can also read about how you can detect a fake First Bank credit alert.
Why you should know the difference?
You should be able to tell the difference between a real First Bank debit alert and a fake one to keep your money safe. Christabel who runs an online boutique fell prey to fraudsters not too long ago. She received a fake debit alert that had the link to a webpage. As she sat and wondered when she made that transaction, she clicked on the link. Just to jog her memory, you know, she just wanted to remember what transaction that was before she went screaming to the banking hall.
The link opened to a web page that looked just like what her bank's website should look like. In a few seconds, she began chatting with "customer care", giving out her account details. Less than a minute later, she received another debit alert. This wasn't supposed to happen. It wasn't until then that she knew that she had fallen into the hands of fraudsters. The amount she lost is someone's annual salary somewhere.
To prevent scenarios like this it's important that you scroll back up, and take notes of what a genuine First Bank debit alert would be like.
Yes, it's true that fraudulent activities have been simplified or are now made easier since the invention of bulk SMS. But that wasn't the plan from the start. The fact that advancements in technology have their disadvantages doesn't mean we should remain in the stone age. All we need to do is get informed and be intentional about protecting ourselves and businesses from criminally minded individuals.
Bulk SMS was created for honest and legal communication purposes.
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