The Bank of Ghana is cautioning consumers to be wary of calls, SMS or emails purported to be coming from their respective banks.

According to the Central Bank, they should always authenticate the identity of callers claiming to be representative of their banks.

This is part of the Secured Banking Practices agenda by the Bank of Ghana.

“Your financial institution will not ask for any sensitive personal information such as passwords and PINs through phone calls, SMS or emails. Always authenticate the identity of a caller claiming to be a representative of your bank. In case of complaints”.

Customers are also being urged to secure their ATM cards, whilst protecting their cheque banks.

“The information on your card could be used by criminals/fraudsters for transactions without your approval even if your PIN is unknown.”

“Do not sign a blank cheque for a staff of a financial institution or any person for immediate or later withdrawal”, it added.

On securing their personal data, the regulator of the bank industry advised customers to avert theft of their identity at the banking halls or elsewhere by properly disposing of all documents containing personal data such as name, account number, contact information, signature, etc.

Again, the Central Bank advised customers to beware of funds received in their bank accounts or on behalf of other persons, as this may be subject to anti-money laundering and countering terrorism financing laws.

“Always ensure the source of funds received in your account is legitimate. Do not allow anyone to use your bank account for a transaction. You are responsible for the activities on your bank account”.

It also urged customers to secure their passwords, ssernames & One-Time Passwords by ensuring that their banking application login credentials such as passwords, usernames and OTPs are highly sensitive and important assets in the digital world as the keys to their homes.

Finally, it urged customers to report to their financial institutions if they were treated unfairly, and if not satisfied to the Bank of Ghana for prompt redress.