Scam Alert: HSBC warns customers against phishing texts

A new text messaging scam appears to be doing the rounds in Malta, with individuals reporting receiving messages, claiming to be from HSBC, telling customers to log in and input personal information online.

Warning customers against the scam on social media, HSBC said: “Please be aware: We have had reports of customers receiving suspicious SMS that appear to be from our bank and contain links to a website urging you to provide confidential, personal or financial information”.

Cybercrime of this type seems to be on the rise in Malta, with customers of major banks, including BOV and HSBC Malta being targeted by scammers in recent months.

Along with the commercial banks, scammers have also posed as Central Bank employees to attempt to pry personal information from Maltese residents.

Indeed, cybercrime is on the rise internationally, it seems, with the UK, for example, recording a 15-fold rise in scam takedowns in 2020 compared to the year before.

Readers concerned about being scammed are encouraged to consult the Malta Financial Service Authority’s Scam Detection Guidelines, which can be found online.