A new wave of smishing attacks—fraudulent schemes carried out through text messages—is targeting bank customers, prompting financial institutions to issue urgent security warnings.
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According to the bank’s warning, the fraudulent messages create a sense of urgency by telling recipients that they must update their personal information to avoid the suspension of banking services.
How the scam works
The scheme follows a familiar phishing pattern adapted to mobile phones.
Victims first receive an SMS urging them to take immediate action. The message contains a link that appears to direct them to a banking-related website.
After clicking the link, the victim may be asked to enter sensitive information, including card details, personal data and one-time passwords (OTP).
If these security codes are provided to the attackers, they may be able to use the information to carry out unauthorized financial transactions or attempt to gain access to the victim’s banking services.
The key element of the scam is the combination of urgency, impersonation and a fraudulent link designed to make the recipient act before checking whether the message is genuine.
Raiffeisen's security advice
Raiffeisen Bank is urging customers to take several precautions when receiving suspicious messages.
Customers should not click on links received through SMS, particularly when the message claims that immediate action is required. Instead, they should access the bank's official website or banking application directly through a trusted route.
The bank also stresses that customers should never share card information, passwords, OTP codes or other security credentials with anyone through an unsolicited message or phone call.
Any suspicious communication should be reported to the bank as soon as possible.
Customers who believe their banking information may have been compromised—or who have accidentally clicked on a suspicious link—are advised to contact Raiffeisen Bank immediately so that appropriate security measures can be taken.
The warning highlights a broader problem facing financial institutions as cybercriminals increasingly use convincing SMS messages to impersonate trusted organizations and exploit customers’ fear of losing access to their accounts.
In such attacks, the strongest protection remains simple: do not trust an unexpected message simply because it uses a bank’s name or logo, and never provide OTP codes or banking credentials through a link received by SMS.