Bank Text About a Payment You Didn't Make, Then a Call: How the Scam Works

Treat it as a scam until you've checked another way. Your bank will never ask you to move your money to keep it safe.

What it looks like

A text that can land in the same thread as your bank's real messages:

We've stopped a payment of €1,240 from your account. If it wasn't you, call us now on [number].

Then a call from someone who knows your name, sometimes from a number that looks like your bank's or the police. They say your account is under attack and walk you through your own banking app to send your money to a "safe" or "backup" account. That account is theirs.

Red flags

• A number to call inside the text.
• Hurry: the payment goes through "in minutes".
• Anyone asking you to move money to protect it.
• A caller who asks you to read out a code, or to approve something in your app.
• "We'll never ask for your details", said to win your trust.
• Small mistakes in the spelling or the wording.

If it's happening now

1. Don't call the number in the text and don't reply.
2. If someone is on the phone, hang up.
3. Call your bank on the number on your card or in its app, from another phone if you can.
4. Don't approve anything in your app that you didn't start yourself.
5. Report the text and delete it.

Already moved money or shared a code?

• Call your bank now on the number on your card. Tell them the time, the amount and where it went.
• Keep everything: the text, the caller's number, the time of the call, your app's record of the payment.
• Report it to the police and give your bank a copy.
• Change your banking password and PIN, and turn on any alerts your bank offers.

Questions people ask

Can a scam text really appear in my bank's own thread? Yes. Spain's INCIBE warned in September 2025 that these texts can appear among your bank's real messages, so where it lands proves nothing.

The caller knew my name and my bank. Isn't that proof? No. Scammers often have names and numbers from earlier leaks. Only a call you make yourself, to the number on your card, is proof.

Will my bank give my money back? Call them straight away and ask. The sooner they know, the more they can try. If they refuse, you can complain to them and then to your country's banking regulator.

Is it ever safe to move money to a "safe account"? No. No bank or police force will ever ask you to.

Can Kiwi check the text for me? Yes. Press the button, paste the text, and Kiwi tells you what looks wrong and what to do next.