Calls claiming to be from your bank
By the StoryCheck team · 5 min read · Published August 18, 2026
The call is calm and professional, which is the point. Somebody from the fraud department has spotted a suspicious transaction, and they need to act with you right now to protect your money. Everything after that sentence is the scam.
The four things a bank never does
- It never asks you to move money to a safe account, because no such account exists in any bank's process.
- It never asks for your full password, PIN, or a one-time code sent to your phone.
- It never asks you to install software so it can see your screen.
- It never tells you to keep the call secret from branch staff or from your family.
The one-time code is the whole game. That code authorizes a payment or a new device, and reading it aloud is what completes the transfer.
The e-Transfer variation
A message says an Interac e-Transfer is waiting and links to a page that looks like your bank's sign-in. What you are actually doing is handing over your online banking credentials, which are then used to redirect the transfer and empty the account. Real transfers are accepted from inside your own banking app, never through a link that arrived by text.
The one safe check
Hang up. Wait a moment, then call the number printed on the back of your card, or use the phone number in your banking app. If the original call was genuine, the bank will still be able to help you, and nothing has been lost. If it was not, it has ended. Where a number is still bothering you, a reverse lookup will show whether it is a real line or a VoIP number with no history.
| What they say | Why it is false | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Move your money to a safe account | No bank has such an account | Hang up immediately |
| Read me the code we just sent | The code authorizes the payment itself | Never read it out to anyone |
| Sign in here to accept your e-Transfer | The page harvests your banking login | Accept transfers only inside your banking app |
| Install this app so we can help | It hands over your screen and session | Install nothing |
| Our number is showing on your phone | Caller ID can display any number | Hang up and dial the card number yourself |
Common questions
The number matched my bank exactly. Was it real?
Not necessarily. Caller ID can be spoofed, so a matching number proves nothing. Hang up and dial the number on your card instead.
What if there really is fraud on my account?
Then calling your bank back on the card number reaches the same fraud department, and they can act. Hanging up costs you nothing in the genuine case.
I gave them a code. What now?
Call your bank immediately on the number on your card and say a one-time code was disclosed. Speed matters more than anything else at that point.
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