Passwords should be your best kept secrets. Passwords are used to authenticate your identity. A lost or leaked password can result in the misuse of your personal information, bank account information, and social contacts and correspondence.

It is critically important to keep your computers and smartphones protected from common security threats. Failing to do so can put your personal and financial information at risk.

Internet Fraudsters send out emails which appear to be sent legitimately by banks asking for your personal banking details. Here are some simple tips to remember, which will keep you protected:

Note: Al Masraf will never send you an e-mail requesting you to share confidential information like your credit/debit card numbers, Online Banking username/password, OTP, PIN number etc.

By using online banking services, you gain full access to your bank account and all financial information associated with it. Please follow the below guidelines to ensure secure online banking.

There are different types of ATM fraud, including the following

• • Card Skimming is when criminals install devices on ATMs to obtain the card details and the PIN.
• • Shoulder Surfing is a technique that involves peeking over your shoulder and recording your PIN as you key it in.
• • Operational Cash Departments are criminals approaching tourists and directing them to local merchants to use their point of sale device to issue cash. The merchant then skims the card details and uses a fake PIN entry device to obtain the cardholder's PIN. This information is then used to make unlawful cash withdrawals with counterfeit cards.

Note:Always report your lost card details to Bank immediately on 600 529999.

Vishing is phone fraud where criminals claims to be calling from legitimate organizations to verify personal details for official records or to give out rewards. The criminals may also fake the caller-identification, making it appear that the call is legitimate.

Note:Contact Al Masraf and report any suspicious calls or incidents on 600 529999.

In advance fee frauds, fraudsters seek your permission to transfer funds to your account from a wealthy beneficiary. In such cases, you will be approached through a letter, fax, email or telephone claiming to be a senior bank official. Victims are repeatedly requested to part with sums of money in order to help the transfer process and as the fraud progress a considerable amount of money is lost .The promised transfer of money will never occur.

Al Masraf always ensures customers are protected from fraudsters and fraudulent transactions by keeping them informed on the safe & secure ways of using Banking Channels.

You can minimize the risk of cheque fraud by exercising the following cautions:

Note:Please report any suspected activities or other security related issued to Al Masraf immediately on 600 529999.

Scammers attract target victims by fake part-time jobs that require little effort but promise a substantial financial reward or 'guaranteed' income. The end goal is to extract money and/or personal details from the victim

How it works?

In online job scam, scammers contact targets through chat applications like WhatsApp or Telegram or through phone calls and offer them part-time job opportunities, requiring target victims to 'like', 'subscribe' and 'review' posts on social media platform like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook etc. or 'like' and 'write" Google reviews.

Scammers usually promise their targets high wages or commissions for each activity and once they become more interested in the offer, target victims are added to a larger group of participants on WhatsApp or Telegram.

In this group, the fraudsters use fake screenshots of individuals who have supposedly earned a significant amount of money to entice victims who are then asked to pay a subscription fee by transferring funds to bank accounts of the scammers.

After the fund transfer is completed, the fraudsters assign tasks to their targets. However, they will not receive any response when they follow-up for the commission and discover the scam.

How to protect yourself?

• • Recognize the red flags. Unsolicited messages promising easy money should immediately raise suspicions.
• • Don't respond to non-corporate emails, texts or other messages offering "too good to be true" job opportunities with high returns.
• • Be wary of offers that request you to pay to earn.

If you suspect you are a victim of any fraudulent attempt or suspicious activity, please report the matter immediately to us on 600529999 (+971600529999 outside the UAE)

Wallet tokenization is a security measure designed to protect your debit or credit card details. However, fraudsters may target this process and, therefore, it requires vigilance to prevent you from falling victim to tokenization fraud. Here's a breakdown of how it might happen:

What is tokenization?

A debit or credit card is tokenized by adding a debit or credit card to Apple Pay via Al Masraf mobile App or mobile device wallet.

To complete the tokenization via mobile device wallets, the bank sends to you an SMS containing a one-time password (OTP) to add the card on Apple Pay or Samsung Pay or Google Pay following which the purchases can be made through the wallet over the internet without OTP or in-stores without PIN verification.

How does fraud happen?

• 1. Scam Calls: You may receive a call from fraudsters pretending to be from the bank, police or government officials asking you to disclose your card details and OTP by claiming that the details are required for some official reason. Once the details are disclosed, criminals add the card on their mobile devices wallets like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay or Google Pay.
• 2. Fake Advertisements: Fraudsters may place fake links of discount offers on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or internet search engines like Google.
• 3. Phishing: Fraudsters may send you an email or SMS posing as a courier company, requesting you to click a link to pay a small fee for a pending delivery or to update your delivery address.

In scenarios 2 and 3, if you click the link, you will be asked to input your card details and OTP on a fake website mimicking an original one. Once inputted, fraudsters use the card details to complete fraudulent transactions with merchants who accept the Digital Wallets i.e. Apple Pay or Samsung Pay or Google Pay.

How to protect yourself?

• • Don't engage with suspicious callers claiming to be from Al Masraf, Central Bank or the Police asking for personal or financial details via phone calls.
• • Don't share your card details and OTPs with anyone.
• • Watch out for messages and emails urging you to click on links or share personal and financial details.
• • Carefully read the text of SMS of all OTPs sent to you by the bank to identify the merchant details and transaction amount before taking any action.
• • If you receive any SMS of OTPs to activate your card for Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Google Pay which was not initiated by you, DO NOT proceed and report directly to us on 600529999.