The primary objective of many scammers is to either get money or personal information – or both – out of their victims. An effective and easy way for them to do that is by posing as an institution or organization that people tend to trust, like their bank. Thus, the fake band fraud alert scam is quite a common one, and it’s important for people to be able to spot these fake messages.
This guide shows you how.
Scam Detectors Most Trusted Websites in Online Security
- Guard.io (100): Do you want to surf the web safely? Just add Guardio and block phishing for good!
- Incogni.com (100): Delete your personal data from the internet and protect against scams and identity theft.
- ExpressVPN (100) Stay secure and anonymous online - Best VPN Out There
What Is a Fake Bank Fraud Alert Text?
Most banks now send text messages to their customers. They can use these texts for various purposes, such as an extra layer of account security, to verify transactions, or for marketing reasons to let you know about products and services you might be interested in. Banks also sometimes send texts to let you know about suspected fraud on your account.
Fake bank fraud alert texts are simply false versions of those kinds of messages. They’re written by scammers who pose as your bank in the hopes of tricking you to give them your personal information or even send them money. Often, their texts will be well-crafted to closely resemble the real thing, though they sometimes have telltale signs that give them away, which we’ll cover below.
The messages may contain links that you’re invited to click on to protect your account or prove your identity, but these will invariably lead to phishing websites that steal whatever data you enter. Or, the texts might just ask you to reply “Yes” or “No” if you recognize fraudulent transactions or activity. If you respond, the scammer will proceed to call you or contact you further to trick you.
Unfortunately, these scams work very well, robbing innocent people of hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. One of the reasons for that is that they’re often convincing, as previously stated, and they’re designed to make you panic – most people’s natural instinct is to stress and feel scared if they suspect their identity or finances are under threat, so they act without necessarily thinking things through.
Signs of Fake Reservations on Booking.com
Sign 1. Typos or Grammatical Mistakes
Scammers can put a lot of effort into making their messages sound convincing. But, if you read them closely, you may notice some unusual language, spelling mistakes, or grammatical inconsistencies. This is because scammers operate all over the world, often in countries where English isn’t the native language, so they get things wrong or use phrasing that doesn’t sound natural or normal.
Sign 2. Pressing or Stressful Language
As touched on earlier, scammers use these messages to make you panic, because when you panic, you’re more likely to make mistakes and give up your information more easily. So, in the messages, they might use stressful, urgent language, telling you that you need to act immediately or threatening to lock your account, for example.
Sign 3. From Unknown Numbers or Email Addresses
If a bank texts you, it will always be from that bank’s official shortcode (a five or six-digit number). Scammers can’t imitate those codes, so they’ll instead text you from other random numbers or they’ll email you from an address that looks like your bank’s, but is actually slightly different. Texts from random full-length numbers claiming to be your bank are almost always scams.
Sign 4. Suspicious Links
As explained earlier, the way that these scams often work is that they’ll ask you to click on a link and log into your bank account or provide some personal information. However, the links take you to fraudulent, scam sites that steal your data. Be wary of links that are shortened using Bitly or TinyURL, or ones that send you to sites you don’t recognize.
Sign 5. Demands for Personal Information
Lastly, some fake fraud alert texts will outright ask you for personal information. Real banks will never ask you to submit personal details over text or email. They’ll only ask for that kind of information either over the phone or in person, and they’ll go through multiple steps to confirm your identity in the safest possible way.
How to Protect Yourself from Fake Bank Fraud Alert Texts
- Check where messages come from to confirm if they’re real or fake.
- Don’t click any suspicious links in text messages.
- Don’t respond to messages you’re wary about.
- If you have any doubts, call your bank’s official number to confirm with them directly.
Report the Scam
If you’ve responded to or provided any information after receiving a fake fraud alert, you should contact your bank directly and let them know, so they can take steps to protect your account. You can also report scammers as follows:
- Report to the FTC.
- Report to the FBI Internet Complaints Center.
How to Protect Yourself More
Sign up for our scam alerts and learn all about the many scams out there.
Once signed up, you’ll also get emails from Scam Detector’s experts about scam techniques, warning signs, and ways to stay safe.
Read more about other sorts of financial scams so you know how to avoid them.

TOP 4 MUST-WATCH FRAUD PREVENTION VIDEOS
1. Top 5 Amazon Scams in 2024 2. Top 5 PayPal Scams in 2024 3. How To Spot a Scam Email in 2024When my sweet old grandmother got caught up in an Amazon gift card scam, I decided then and there that I needed to do whatever I could to inform as many people as possible about the grifters of the world. That’s what I do here – writing about modern scams so you don’t get caught out.