The Access Bank Malta Limited

Fraud Alert

From time to time, you may receive an email that looks like it is from The Access Bank Malta Limited, claiming that you have won a lottery prize or are set to inherit a large sum of money from an unknown benefactor. These emails may ask you to verify your personal or bank details or send an advance fee to receive the funds.
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited will never participate in any type of lottery scheme, and it is likely that the email is fraudulent, even though it appears genuine.
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited will never use free email accounts to contact you, nor will it contact you via instant messaging services or social networking sites.
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited will never ask you to send money as part of a job offer or the promise of a job offer.
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited will never ask you to send fees in advance via a money transfer service in return for a loan, receipt of a large inheritance or any other banking service.
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited has only one website, the address of which is www.theaccessbankmaltaltd.mt. If you receive an email which appears to have come from another domain, or you are directed to any other website in our name, it will be fraudulent.
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited has a link on the The Access Bank UK Limited’s website: www.theaccessbankukltd.co.uk/malta/
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited does not make unsolicited calls and does not provide any virtual currency services, for example, Bitcoin or Ethereum. If you receive a call, that, you were not expecting, apparently from The Access Bank Malta Limited regarding virtual currencies then it will be fraudulent.
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited does not act as an intermediary for online auction sites and would never issue you with a receipt from a buyer, demand that you provide shipping or tracking numbers for an item you are selling or ask you to send fees in advance or purchase gift cards as part of the transaction.
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited will never ask you to provide your personal details or bank details by email, unless there are specific requirements set by a customer instructing us to contact them by email only.
  • Our registered company name is The Access Bank Malta Limited. We do not operate under any other company or trading names in Malta.
  • The Access Bank Malta Limited is the only bank, that is authorised and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), which is affiliated to The Access Bank UK limited, and Access Bank Plc of Nigeria.
 

If you receive an email which appears as if it is from The Access Bank Malta Limited, but you are unsure of its authenticity, please forward the email, with internet headers if possible, to us at [email protected] and we will confirm whether the email was sent to you by us.

If you receive a call apparently from The Access Bank Malta Limited that you were not expecting and want to check whether it was made by us, please call us on +356 23167900. Our lines are open 8.30am – 5.30pm, Monday to Friday excluding Bank Holidays.

If however, you believe you are the victim of fraud, your next course of action should be to contact your local law enforcement agencies.

For more information on financial scams please refer to The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) Scams, Warnings and Reporting document  to keep yourself informed on red flags and how to protect yourself.

A guide to reporting fraud

If you believe that you may have responded to a scam, or been a victim of fraud, please immediately contact your Relationship Manager in the first instance.

Alternatively, please call us on +356 23167900. Our lines are open 8:30am – 5.30pm, Monday to Friday excluding Bank Holidays.

Phishing, smishing and vishing

How it could happen to you

  • You receive a communication that appears to be genuine and from a legitimate source – however it is a fake.
  • They gain your trust, and trick you into revealing personal and bank details – then use them to access your account and make payments without you knowing.
  • Fraudsters call you pretending to be The Access Bank Malta Limited, or another company you trust, and say they will send a one-time passcode to confirm your identity. Really, they are trying to use your card details to make a fraudulent payment and know we will send you a code to check whether it is genuine. When you share the code with them, they use it to authorise the payment.
 

How to protect yourself

  • Be alert to any unexpected calls or texts received.
  • Be wary if you are asked to open a link or call a number.
  • If you need to visit the company’s website, do not take it from a text message or email link– always type in a web address you know is genuine by hand.
  • Never reveal personal information, your PIN, online banking passwords, one-time passwords.
 

Authorised Push Payment (App) Fraud
In an authorised push payment scam, a criminal will trick their victim into sending money directly from their account to an account which the criminal controls. Learn more about these methods below:

Invoice scam
How it could happen to you

  • Criminals target you pretending to be a legitimate supplier. This can be done through hacking your suppliers’ legitimate email, or using a fictitious email. They provide an invoice that appears to be legitimate, however, the payment details have been amended to their own.
  • Criminals create a sense of urgency surrounding the invoice / payment. This is to encourage you to make the payment without performing checks.
 

How to protect yourself

  • Be alert to any unexpected changes to payment details.
  • Always confirm any bank account details directly with the company either via telephone or in person before you make a payment or transfer any money. Be wary if you are asked to open a link or call a number.
  • Criminals can access or alter emails to make them look genuine. Do not use the contact details in an email, instead check the company’s official website or documentation.
 

Purchase scam
How it could happen to you

  • Criminals pose as a seller of a product, which they advertise at a lower price to attract buyers. While many online platforms offer secure payment options, the criminal will persuade their victim to pay via a bank transfer instead. When the victim transfers the money, the seller disappears, and no goods or services arrive.
 

How to protect yourself

  • Be suspicious of any offers or prices that look too good to be true.
  • Always use the secure payment method recommended by reputable online retailers and auction websites. Be very wary of requests to pay by bank transfer.
  • Always do your research and ask questions before you buy. Ask to see any vehicle in person first and request the relevant documentation to ensure the seller owns it.
  • Contact your bank straight away if you think you may have fallen for a purchase scam. 

Investment scam
How it could happen to you

  • Criminals advertise get rich quick schemes for investments with excessive returns.
  • Fraudsters create social media profiles and use them to post fake investment deals or to start up a conversation with you. They might promise to make you money and try to convince you by showing you fake success stories.
 

How to protect yourself

  • Be cautious of approaches presenting you with exclusive investment opportunities. It could be a scam if you are being pressurised to act quickly.
  • Spend time researching an investment to find out if it is real and worth your money. Talk with family and friends or find an independent financial adviser. A list of entities licensed by the MFSA can be viewed on the official website of the MFSA at https://www.mfsa.mt/financial-services-register/. For more information on financial scams please refer to the MFSA scam awareness document to keep yourself informed on red flags which help consumers of financial services to identify such financial scams.
  • If you are a victim of a scam or think you might be dealing with an unauthorised entity or any other type of financial scam, first of all stop all transactions with the company and contact the MFSA at https://www.mfsa.mt/about-us/contact/ as soon as a suspicion arises.
 

Romance scam
How it could happen to you

  • Fraudsters will use fake profiles to target their victims to start a relationship, which they will try to develop over a longer period. Once they have established their victim’s trust, the criminal will then claim to be experiencing a problem, such as an issue with a visa, health issues or flight tickets and ask for money to help.
 

How to protect yourself

  • Avoid sending money to someone you have never met in person, particularly if you have only recently met online.
  • Research the person you are talking to as profile photos may not be genuine. You can do this by uploading a picture of the person you are talking to into search engines to check that profile photos are not associated with another name.
  • Always consider the possibility of a scam.
  • Speak to your family and friends to get advice and clarity.
 

Impersonation scam
How it could happen to you

  • Criminals will research their targets prior to contacting them to obtain personal information.
  • They will build a level of trust by purporting to be from a trustworthy source.
  • The criminals will create a sense of urgency and demand that funds are transferred to a ‘safe account’- this account is owned by the criminal.
 

How to protect yourself

  • The Access Bank Malta Limited or the police will never ask you to transfer money to a safe account or contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN or full password.
  • Contact your bank or an organisation directly using a known email or phone number.
  • Do not give anyone remote access to your computer following a cold call or unsolicited text.
 

Advance fee scam
How it could happen to you

  • Criminals will create a narrative that to receive a high-value good, or to obtain the money from a lottery win, you will have to transfer money to an account owned by the criminal.
 

How to protect yourself

  • It is extremely unlikely that you have won a lottery or competition that you have not entered, and which requires an upfront fee.
  • Verify the contact details of who you have been contacted by.