Ubank and NAB are aware of scam phone calls targeting Australians. You may receive a call where the caller pretends to be from organisations like your bank, Telstra, NBN, Microsoft, Amazon, ATO or the police, or receive a text message asking you to call your bank due to security concerns. Once on the call, the caller may request remote access to your computer and bank accounts, or ask you to provide personal or banking information.

Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer or online bank accounts, or provide personal or banking information.

If you ever have concerns as to the legitimacy of a call, hang up and call the company back on a publicly available number.

If you have provided information on this type of call, please call ubank on 13 30 80.

You can learn more about scam calls here.

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Ubank and NAB are aware of various phishing emails and text messages circulating which contain malicious software or lead to phishing sites. Fraudulent emails or texts that appear to be from us or other legitimate businesses may attempt to trick you into providing personal information such as your mobile phone number, ID, banking passwords, or credit card details. Ubank or NAB will never send you an email asking for your password or send you a link to login to Internet Banking.

Don't respond to any email requests for this information and don’t click on any links within these emails.

If you have clicked on links or attachments in a suspicious email or SMS, or sent funds based on a request received from a suspicious email please call ubank on 13 30 80.

If you receive a suspicious message, do not click on any links or attachments. Please forward it to phish@ubank.com.au and then delete it.

Visit the NAB Security Hub for more tips to help you stay safe online and the NAB Latest Security Alerts page to see more fraud and scams examples.

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Ubank and NAB are aware that Australians are currently being targeted with investment scams promising lucrative returns.

The ACCC advises that these fake investment companies are proactively contacting Australians online or by phone, and claiming to be stock brokers offering investment advice, promotions, and hot tips or offering free investment seminars.

The fraudster will claim the investment is low-risk with quick and high returns, or encourage you to invest in overseas companies. The offer may sound very legitimate, with resources to back up their claims. They may say you need to act quickly and invest, or you will miss out.

Before transferring any money to an investment company, check the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) list of companies that you should not deal with. You can learn more about investment scams on the ACCC’s Scamwatch website, and by reading this investment scams article.

If you believe that you have paid money to an investment scam, please contact ubank on 13 30 80.

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Ransomware is a type of malicious software (malware) that encrypts (or locks) the files on a computer, making them inaccessible. Once the malware has been downloaded onto the victim’s computer, the victim receives a message on their computer screen from the criminal (the ransom note), advising them that their files have been locked, and demanding money in return for unlocking the files.

Cybercriminals usually demand victims pay the ransom in virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, which is difficult for law enforcement to trace. Ransomware attacks are just like any other extortion attempt and police advise that businesses should not comply with the criminals’ request for money.

Businesses are advised to ensure they have active and effective cyber security controls in place. Our recommended steps are:

1. Be wary of unexpected, threatening or poorly written emails
2. Make sure your operating system and anti-virus software are always up to date
3. Incident management plan
4. Back-up your data
5. The ACSC strongly recommends implementing the ‘Essential Eight’ strategies to mitigate cyber security incidents, which can help protect systems from compromise.

If you believe you may have fallen victim to ransomware, please call ubank on 13 30 80 immediately.

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Ubank and NAB are aware of purchasing scams targeting Australian consumers, with scammers active on both the buying and selling sides of transactions. These scams take place on the common platforms used by people to buy and sell goods and services, such as eBay, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and Carsales.

If you’re selling an item, a scammer may send you a fake or altered receipt claiming they have transferred funds into your account. After you send or hand over the item, they will cease communication without having paid you.

If you’re purchasing an item, a scammer posing as a legitimate seller may post an item for sale which appears to be a good deal. They may put up an advertisement that is fake, or sell items that aren’t rightfully theirs. When you start communicating with them, they may send you pictures of the item which appear to be legitimate. However, these images are often stolen from the Internet or from other legitimate advertisements. Once you pay them, the seller will stop communicating and you won’t receive the item.

Tips to avoid a purchasing scam:

• Be cautious of buyers and sellers asking for identification documents such as your driver’s license, passport and Medicare card number. Never provide these to someone you don’t know, as it may be used to commit identity fraud.
• If you’re purchasing an item, try to meet the buyer in person where possible. If this is not possible, ask them to video call you so you can inspect the item more closely. Conduct a ‘reverse image search’ for the photos of the item you’re buying- you may find the picture of the item already exists on a legitimate ad, or other fake ones.
• If you’re selling an item, wait for the funds to arrive in your bank account before you hand over the goods, or accept cash at handover. Don’t rely on receipts provided as they may have been altered.

If you believe you may have fallen victim to a scam, please contact ubank on 13 30 80 immediately. You can learn more about purchasing scams here.

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Ubank and NAB are aware of invoice scam attempts targeting Australian businesses. An invoice scam is when a business receives an emailed invoice from a supplier whose email account has been compromised by a criminal. The criminal will alter the payment details on the invoice to a fraudulent or mule account. As the invoice looks legitimate, the business doesn’t question the payment details, and sends the payment to the fraudulent account.

Another variation of an invoice scam is when a business receives a request advising a supplier’s or employee’s payment details have changed, and to make payments to a new account.

Before processing invoices, check the payment details against the last invoice. If they have changed, or you receive a request to update payment details:

• Do not proceed with the transaction(s), and
• Call the supplier/sender to confirm the legitimacy of the request, using a known contact or publicly listed number. Do not call the number on the new invoice/email.

If you have received an email of this type and actioned the request, please contact ubank on 13 30 80. Watch this video to learn more about invoice scams.

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