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Scams

Impersonation scams and how to avoid them.

How to spot an ING impersonation scam before it finds you

Scammers are becoming more sophisticated and some are even trying to impersonate
ING. But unlike us, they don’t have your best interests at heart. So, beware of imposters. Here’s what to watch out for and how to help keep yourself scam safe.

What’s an ING impersonation scam?

An impersonation scam is when a scammer poses as a trusted individual or organisation – like ING – to trick you into handing over your details or money.

Sometimes they’ll say a transaction or your account has been blocked and you need to provide your info or click a link to fix it. Scammers may even ask you transfer money – DON’T!

How it works

  1. The scammer will contact you out of the blue in various ways, including by phone, email or SMS.
  2. They may say a transaction or your account has been blocked for security reasons.
  3. The scammer will ask for your info or to click a link to resolve an account issue.
  4. They could then steal your details and/or access your account and take your money.

Here’s how it happened to Sue

One morning ING customer Sue* received an SMS that looked like it came from ING.

It said her account had been suspended and she needed to follow the prompts by clicking a link in the message.

Luckily, Sue noticed the SMS came from an unknown number and didn’t include the usual ING contact details.

Instead, she used her ING app to check her Orange Everyday was still active.

She then called ING to report the scam.

* Name changed for privacy.

3 tell-tale signs

Every crime has its modus operandi, so here are some clues to look out for:

  1. You get an unexpected call or message about an urgent issue with your account.
  2. The caller or message asks you to confirm or provide your personal and/or banking info.
  3. They ask you to transfer money to ‘keep it safe’ or for ‘further investigation’.

Specific things you can do

To help avoid an ING impersonation scam you should:

  • check the email or SMS comes from a genuine ING address or number.
  • hang up if you’re unsure about a caller and call us on 133 464 to verify the authenticity of the call/message.
  • never share your passwords, codes or PINs with anyone else – including us.
  • act fast if you give info or access to a scammer and report it to us immediately.

Better yet: Stop, Reflect & Protect

Whatever the type of scam, keeping these simple steps top of mind could help prevent you from becoming a scam statistic.

3 steps to spot scams before they find you

  1. Stop. Before sharing any personal details or money, take a breather to assess if you really
    know or trust who’s asking.
  2. Reflect. Ask yourself: ‘Could this caller, email or message be fake?’
  3. Protect. Don’t proceed if things seem fishy! If you’re an ING customer and notice unusual activity on your account, place your card on hold in the ING app and call
    our 24/7 scams line on 1800 052 743.

For our latest security alerts and more ways ING can help to protect you and your money, visit ing.com.au/security.

The information is current as at publication.

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