Security Center

This is when you receive an email that tries to get you to reveal personal information like credit card numbers, personal identification numbers (PINs), passwords or account data. Phishing emails often look legitimate with official logos. They encourage you to update your information by clicking a link in the email. This link may take you to a bogus website which asks you to enter your personal details so it can capture them.

Helpful Tips to guard oneself against “phishing”
Be wary of emails asking you for personal information or to verify such details. No Republic Bank employee would call or email you asking for your personal details like your PIN. If anyone does, report it to us immediately.
If you receive strange emails, do not open them or click on any links in them. If you do, you may allow viruses and intruders to gain access to your system.

In the current technological environment, email has become the preferred method of communication. Fraudsters use modern technology to illegally access your email. Once they gain access to your email, they can steal your personal information. They can then impersonate you and issue instructions to your bank to make large withdrawals.

Tips to avoid email fraud
Be wary of emails that promise you large sums of money. Also, beware of emails that suggest you have won a wonderful prize and that you must first provide money to redeem it.
Before you consider these unsolicited emails, remember “if something seems too good to be true, it is probably a scam.”
We would never ask you to reveal your account number, username or password via telephone or email. If necessary, we would ask you to visit your branch. Be vigilant. Be cautious. Be aware.
Your email password is like the key to the door of your home. Do not leave your password lying around or reveal it to anyone. Do not make your password easy to guess. For example, do not use your mother’s maiden name, your name, your birthday or numbers someone who knows you could easily figure out. Create a strong password instead.

Card skimming is when a trickster uses a card reading device to copy your account information when you swipe your debit or credit card. These devices are very small and can be easily carried around. Once perpetrators get this information, they can create a clone of your debit or credit card and use this clone to withdraw large amounts of money from your account.

Tips to protect yourself from card skimming
Never let your card out of your sight.
Always ask for a mobile machine so that transactions can be done in front of you.
During these transactions, always use your hands to cover your PIN.
If a mobile machine is unavailable, accompany the service attendant to the cashier.
Do not give your PIN or card to anyone.
If possible, let the retailer enter the sale amount and swipe your card yourself during transactions.

Shoulder Surfing involves a fraudster looking over your shoulders to observe you enter your PIN to conduct a transaction. Once your PIN has been compromised, your investments are no longer safe.

Tips to protect yourself from shoulder surfing
Avoid becoming a victim of shoulder surfing. Here are some tips to protect your PIN.
Always hide your PIN
Stand as close as possible to the ATM machine, so that your body will shield the machine
Use your hands to protect your PIN, by covering the number pad
NEVER reveal your PIN to anyone
Shoulder surfing can also occur at a Point of Sale Terminal or while using a portable terminal.

ATM Card Swapping

If fraudsters get your PIN, they may try to swap your card to access your money immediately. They may use distractions to swap your card. Once they have your PIN and card, your account can become compromised.

Tips to protect yourself from card swapping
Never accept help from anyone at the ATM.
Never give your card to anyone.
Always pay attention to your surroundings. If you feel uncomfortable, leave and go to another ATM.

Cases of credit card and debit card fraud are on the increase worldwide. Investigations show that this is mainly due to customer negligence: failing to take simple precautionary steps while conducting transactions.

Tips to avoid credit card and debit card theft
Never write down or disclose your PIN to anyone, even if they claim to be from Republic Bank.
Avoid using PIN numbers that are linked to your personal information such as your date of birth, address, phone numbers etc.
Consider changing your PIN to something that is easy for you to remember. Also, consider changing it from time to time.
If your PIN has been compromised, change it immediately.
Always keep your card in sight as your account information can be copied and used illegally. This can deprive you of your available credit card limit, cause inconvenience, embarrassment and possible financial loss.
Always ask the retailer to confirm the amount being debited from your card.
After making a purchase, ensure that your card and receipt are returned to you and always in your control.
Always keep your receipts. If you must discard them, either tear them into several pieces or shred them.
Be careful when giving out your account numbers. Never give this information over the phone unless you have made the call.
Only use cards that you use frequently and check your credit card bills.
Inform us when you travel abroad so that if your card has been compromised, we can alert you.
Do not leave your cards unattended in a bag or pocket in a public place.
Don’t keep your cheque books with your cards.
Check your account balances at least once a week to ensure that your account is not being tampered.
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What are ‘419’ scams?

A ‘419’ scam is a form of upfront payment or money transfer scam. They are called 419 scams because the first wave of them came from Nigeria, but they can come from anywhere in the world. The ‘4-1-9’ part of the name comes from the section of Nigeria’s Criminal Code which outlaws the practice. These scams are also known to be called the Advance Fee Scam. The reason being invariably, the victim is requested to make a payment in advance in order to process the release of the funds from the foreign country/bank.

The scammers usually contact you by email or letter and offer you a share in a large sum of money that they want to transfer out of their country. They may tell you about money trapped in central banks during civil wars or coups, often in countries currently in the news. Or they may tell you about massive inheritances that are difficult to access because of government restrictions or taxes in the scammer’s country.

Scammers ask you to pay money or give them your bank account details to help them transfer the money. You are then asked to pay fees, charges or taxes to help release or transfer the money out of the country through your bank. These ‘fees’ may even start out as quite small amounts. If paid, the scammer will make up new fees that require payment before you can receive your supposed ‘reward’. They will keep making up these excuses until they think they have got all the money they can get out of you. You will never receive the money that was promised.

Banks all over the world are targeted not only by phishers, but 419 scammers have also spotted the potential for drawing in victims using the name and details of well-known banks. The scam usually involves an account that has become dormant, due to its (non-existent) owner having died. The “scammers “mission, should they accept it, is to pretend to be a relative of the account holder and claim the money;

Warning signs
You receive an offer out of the blue to ‘help’ someone from a foreign country to transfer money out of their country.
The offer sets out a long and often sad story about why the money cannot be transferred by the scammer. This usually involves an inheritance or profits from natural resources that the scammer might say they are trying to protect from taxes or a corrupt government.
You are offered a percentage of the total amount transferred in return for your assistance. The amount of money to be transferred, and the payment that the scammer promises to you if you help, is usually very large.
The email or letter is in a very polite tone, but often in broken English.

How to protect yourself from 419 scams
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Remember there is no get-rich-quick schemes, the only people who make money are the scammers.
Do not let anyone pressurize you into making decisions about money or investments, always get independent financial and/or legal advice.
Do not open suspicious or unsolicited email (spam): delete them.
Never reply to a spam email (even to unsubscribe).
Never send your personal, credit card or online account details through an email.
Money laundering is a criminal offence: do not agree to transfer money for someone else. Don’t let the fact that a letter sounds enticing or genuine trick you.

Don’t be fooled. Access the real thing, not the fake

A spoof website claims to be the legitimate site of a particular organization and is set up to look like the original. Spoof websites usually have similar logos to ours, and in some cases, they may even be identical. The domain name or web address is also similar to ours and will often use words related to our name or products.

How it works

The intention of a spoof website is usually to associate a scam with a reputable institution. Spoof websites are set up to ‘validate’ 419 scams. By creating a website that appears to be Republic Bank, criminals provide login passwords to their victim. The login details are to a false website’s Internet banking page which shows inflated balances. The hope is that if the target sees a bigger balance in the account, he or she will be more likely to fall victim to the 419 scam.

Phishers are also able to reprogram a browser’s bookmarks or favorites to redirect them to a spoof website. The safest method of accessing an authentic site remains checking the URL or typing it in every time you visit it.

How to identify a spoof website

It does not have one of our official website addresses or URLs, for example: www.republicghana.com  If you are unsure about the authenticity of a website claiming to be a Republic Bank website, contact us on

Telephone
+233 0302242090-4
+233 0285377707
+233 0302683896
Fax
+233 030 2 242095
Email
email@republicghana.com