KBC alerts customers to potential scams through fraudulent calls

KBC are aware that some customers are receiving fraudulent calls which appear to come from genuine KBC phone numbers. KBC will NEVER ask you to provide information such as One Time Passwords, Digital Keys or any Login details. If you receive such a call hang up and call 1800 939244 for support

I continually receive calls from a mobile no. purporting to be from KBC and before before we even speak they ask a whole pile of personal details, name, dob, address etc. and they then ask to confirm payment and often they sometimes tend to ring later in the same seeking the payment again which I find alarming, I have to say. I have often queried it with them but they state that it's okay but I do find it strange..

Calamity said:

I continually receive calls from a mobile no. purporting to be from KBC and before before we even speak they ask a whole pile of personal details, name, dob, address etc. and they then ask to confirm payment and often they sometimes tend to ring later in the same seeking the payment again which I find alarming, I have to say. I have often queried it with them but they state that it's okay but I do find it strange..

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That sounds exactly like the type of thing that you should never agree to. Best to tell them you will contact them directly on their call centre number, as Brendan says above 1800 939244, for support and not the mobile number that they are ringing from. Take their name if necessary.

Don007 said:

when kbc call, they call from a mobile number, and ask a range of security questions before they talk to the customer, how do you know for sure it is kbc

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By asking similar questions to them before you offer up sensitive information yourself.

For example, ask them how much a recent transaction was for or on what date a direct debit falls, etc..

Sue Ellen said:

That sounds exactly like the type of thing that you should never agree to. Best to tell them you will contact them directly on their call centre number, as Brendan says above 1800 939244, for support and not the mobile number that they are ringing from. Take their name if necessary.

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Sue Ellen, Maybe I have been very naive but when these people have called me they have been very forceful and it can be very unsettling and intimidating. That is the experience I have had, I have subsequently called into KBC a few times and complained about it but my efforts have fallen on deaf ears, they do not listen.

Leo said:

By asking similar questions to them before you offer up sensitive information yourself.

For example, ask them how much a recent transaction was for or on what date a direct debit falls, etc..

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They generally won’t answer those questions because of privacy concerns, they’d be disclosing somebodies information to you not knowing who you are or similar excuse. I tried it with KBC the other day, the most the person would tell me was that she was calling about something that I had had multiple contacts with them over - pretty damn vague!

I think this is something some authority (Central Bank?) should tackle with the banks. Mutual authentication would be easily done and solve the issue of phishing calls instantly. A passphrase that you give them when you create your account and they read out when calling you would block all but the most sophisticated attackers with access to bank systems/employees.

Zenith63 said:

They generally won’t answer those questions because of privacy concerns, they’d be disclosing somebodies information to you not knowing who you are or similar excuse. I tried it with KBC the other day, the most the person would tell me was that she was calling about something that I had had multiple contacts with them over - pretty damn vague!

I think this is something some authority (Central Bank?) should tackle with the banks. Mutual authentication would be easily done and solve the issue of phishing calls instantly. A passphrase that you give them when you create your account and they read out when calling you would block all but the most sophisticated attackers with access to bank systems/employees.

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That's what the the dept that creates the public services card do.

I had to get something sorted (system was saying I was 324 years old) and they said I may as well get a public services card.

Fiercely efficient. (I was surprised) and they ask you to pick a couple of questions that can be asked both ways. Eg, best friend in school, favourite sport, first car (she never heard of a Datsun Cherry) and several more.

Such a system would be very easily implemented.

Zenith63 said:

They generally won’t answer those questions because of privacy concerns, they’d be disclosing somebodies information to you not knowing who you are or similar excuse. I tried it with KBC the other day, the most the person would tell me was that she was calling about something that I had had multiple contacts with them over - pretty damn vague!

I think this is something some authority (Central Bank?) should tackle with the banks. Mutual authentication would be easily done and solve the issue of phishing calls instantly. A passphrase that you give them when you create your account and they read out when calling you would block all but the most sophisticated attackers with access to bank systems/employees.

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I agree, it's frustrating that they feel they can't participate in that mutual authentication. When they are the ones who called you, they should realise that they are the least trusted party in the conversation.

A customer saying the shopped in a certain store a few days previously asking them to confirm the value of a transaction does not require them to reveal any protected data. Indeed, the customer naming a business they did carry out a transaction in should be further reassurance that they are speaking with the right person.

Years ago - before the likes of Facebook privacy and security concerns were commonplace - I remember having one phone rep getting actually angry and shouting at me down the phone for not wanting to give my personal info to them from their cold call. It's much more the norm now that they have a script if you refuse to identify yourself that they'll suggest you call back on the main customer service number, exactly as Sue Ellen says.

I usually point it out to any rep that cold calls me, and I've written to banks about it, that they are literally training people to be scammed by phone.

And who gets the blame when the customer is finally done? You know the response will be "You should have known better. While we would have asked for X, Y and Z, we wouldn't have asked for this other tidbit, that's how you know" :mad: