In an age where our mobile phones are almost extensions of ourselves, it’s no surprise that scammers are finding increasingly cunning ways to infiltrate our digital lives. The latest warning comes from the National Australia Bank (NAB), which has identified a new, sophisticated SMS scam that’s targeting Australians, aiming to swindle them out of their hard-earned cash.
This particular scam is quite the chameleon, masquerading as a legitimate pop-up SMS from NAB. It appears on locked phone screens, claiming that the recipient’s NAB ID has been used overseas. To add to the urgency, it temporarily disables the phone, prompting the user to contact the bank immediately using the provided, but fake, contact details.
Laura Hartley, NAB’s Head of Security Advisory, has shed light on the scammers’ tactics: ‘The current bank impersonation scam trend is focused on trying to get people to ‘call NAB’ through a fake pop-up SMS. The criminals’ goal is to reel you in and then phish you into handing over account log-ins, PIN codes or to make payments.’
The pop-up is persistent, refusing to vanish from the target’s phone until it is actively dismissed or saved. However, it’s designed not to save automatically to the phone, which complicates the process of reporting the scam.
Hartley has confirmed that NAB does not communicate with customers via pop-up SMS and has urged anyone who receives such a message to report it immediately. She advises, ‘If you aren’t sure if it is legitimately NAB contacting you, call the bank using details you have found yourself via the website or on the back of your bank card.’
Digital scams have evolved to become more sophisticated, and this latest NAB scam is a testament to the shift away from simple phishing links to more complex impersonation scams. Despite NAB’s efforts, which have seen a 65 per cent reduction in losses due to impersonation scams between 2023 and 2024, these types of scams are still rampant.
Education is key in the fight against these digital predators. Hartley urges Australians to familiarise themselves with the red flags that indicate a scam and reassures customers that NAB is continuously working to safeguard their interests. ‘Criminals have been forced to change their approach and come up with new tactics like these pop-up SMSes,’ she says. ‘But there is no silver bullet. We can, and will, do more.’
Staying ahead of scammers requires awareness, vigilance, and sharing knowledge with others. As digital fraud becomes more sophisticated, it’s more important than ever to question unexpected messages and verify their legitimacy before taking action.
Have you ever received a suspicious SMS claiming to be from your bank? How do you protect yourself from scams like these? Do you think more can be done to prevent such fraudulent activities? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below—we’d love to hear how you stay one step ahead of scammers!
Also read: A bank customer’s close call with ‘creative’ scam—how to spot the trick
I don’t have a NAB account, so I won’t be doing anything about the SMS, but dismissing it.
What happens to those who have power of attorney on their loved one’s accounts, and the loved one has no idea of what’s happening when they receive one of these SMSs?
I’ll advise my ‘Senior friends’ about the scam this week, as most of them aren’t on email, or even the internet.