ADCB : : Protecting your financial identity

At ADCB, we work hard to ensure all your personal banking information and transaction details are well protected.

Unfortunately bank fraud is becoming more and more frequent and fraudsters are now directly targeting innocent people like you with their scams.

We want to protect you from these fraudsters, and the information below is aimed to educate you on how to prevent yourself from falling victim.

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Avoid Phishing Scams

Internet Fraudstars send out emails which appear to be sent legitimately by banks asking for your personal banking details. Please be aware that ADCB will NEVER send you an e-mail requesting you to share confidential information like your account number, Internet banking username or password.
Here are some simple tips to remember, which will keep you protected:

Be careful with any email that requests urgent personal or financial information.
Access Personal Internet Banking by typing www.adcb.com in the address bar of your browser.
Enter information such as credit card numbers only via a secure website which uses a secure browsing mechanism (HTTPS) and has a closed lock icon on the status bar.

DON'T

Click links within the email to access ADCB@ctive.
Reply to phishing emails that ask you to respond immediately with lucrative offers.
Assume that an email is authentic unless it is personalised.
Send personal information to the bank by email.
Have an outdated browser or anti-virus software without the latest security updates.

Please note that ADCB will NEVER send you an email asking for your personal information such as passwords/PINs/userid etc.
Please report any suspected privacy abuses or other related security issues to 800 2030 within the UAE or to +971 2 6210090 outside the UAE. Please remember that the Bank will never ask for such personal information such as passwords and PINs.

Protect your password

Passwords should be your best kept secrets.

Passwords are used to authenticate your identity. A lost or leaked password can result in the misuse of your personal information, bank account information, and social contacts and correspondence.

If you suspect that your Internet Banking password has been compromised, change your password immediately and report the incident to the Bank.
Disable Auto Complete or Remember Password options in the Internet Browser while accessing Internet Banking systems.
Change your passwords regularly
Always close the Internet Browser window once you have logged out of the Internet Banking site.

DON'T

Disclose your PIN or password to anyone else, including bank staff. (Note: the Bank will NEVER ask for these details).
Use your birth date or name as your PIN or password. Internet Passwords should be alpha numeric e.g. pencil37.
Store passwords on your computer.

Please report any suspected privacy abuses or other related security issues to 800 2030 within the UAE or to +971 2 6210090 outside the UAE. Please remember that the Bank will never ask for personal information such as passwords and PINs.

Be aware of key loggers

Key logging is used by internet fraudsters to capture your password/PIN or other sensitive information you type into the computer. Software programs or small hardware devices can be programmed to record which keys you type. Once the fraudsters collect your password/PIN, they might use it for their own financial gain.

Install anti-virus software with the latest security patches and anti-virus signatures on your home PCs.
Monitor your transactions regularly.
Immediately report any irregularities in statements to the ADCB Contact Centre on 8002030.

DON'T

Use computers located in public places such as internet cafes or airport lounges to access internet banking.
Visit suspicious sites or follow any of the instructions.
Postpone reviewing your Credit Card and account statements.
Respond to suspicious or Spam emails.

ATM security tips

Although ATMs are convenient and allow quick cash withdrawals, the frequency of ATM fraud has increased. There are different types of ATM fraud, including the following:

Card Skimming is when criminals install devices on ATMs to obtain the card details and the PIN.

Shoulder Surfing is a technique that involves peeking over your shoulder and recording your PIN as you key it in.

Operational Cash Departments are criminals approaching tourists and directing them to local merchants to use their point of sale device to issue cash. The merchant then skims the card details and uses a fake PIN entry device to obtain the cardholder's PIN. This information is then used to make unlawful cash withdrawals with counterfeit cards.

Use an ATM alone and shield the keypad with your hand when keying in your PIN.
Report jammed or retained cards and those lost at an ATM, immediately to the Bank.
Use unique PINs and change them periodically.
Check to ensure that no additional devices are attached to the card reader slot.

DON'T

Disclose your PIN to anyone, whether to a family member or to bank staff.
Accept help from strangers at an ATM.
Write down your PIN in a way that it is easily accessible.
Use numbers like your date of birth or the last four digits of your phone number.
Use an ATM with a blank screen.

Be aware of Vishing (phone fraud)

Vishing is phone fraud where the criminal claims to be calling from legitimate organizations to verify personal details for official records or to give out rewards.

The criminals may also fake the caller-identification, making it appear that the call is legitimate.

Ask for authentication of the person calling you by verifying a recent transaction you have made.
Contact ADCB’s Contact Centre on 800 2030 if you have any suspicions.

DON'T

Give out your Credit Card, Password, CVV2 (the three-digit number on the back of your credit card), PIN or account information through unsolicited calls.
Respond to a voice mail or calls that ask you to go to a website or call a phone number to resolve an account problem.

Advance fee fraud
In advance fee frauds, fraudsters seek your permission to transfer funds to your account from a wealthy benefactor.
In such cases, you will be approached through a letter, fax, email or telephone from someone claiming to be a senior bank official. Victims are repeatedly requested to part with sums of money in order to help the transfer process and as the fraud progresses a considerable amount of money is lost. The promised transfer, of course, never happens.
DO
Always be wary of unsolicited emails offering large sums of money.
Inform suspicious activities to our Contact Centre on 800 2030.
DON'T
Give out your Credit Card, Password, PIN or account information through unsolicited emails.
Transfer money as instructed in these emails.
Respond to such suspicious emails.
Best computer security practices
Although we have recommended good banking and security practices in the information above, security of your identity and details also depends on how robust your computer hardware and software security measures are. Follow these simple tips to ensure you are never left in the lurch because of a faulty computer or outdated software.
- Always install the latest Operating System patches and service packs.
- Always keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. Some recommended software are:
          - McAfee
          - Symantec Norton Antivirus
          - Sophos
          - TrendMicro
- Use personal firewall software on your PC. A personal firewall is a software application used to protect a single Internet-connected computer from intruders. The common commercial personal firewall software options are:
          - Zone Alarm Internet Security
          - Symantec – Norton Internet Security
          - McAfee Internet Security
- Use Anti-Spyware software. The following are examples that detect and eliminate spyware from your PC.
- Lavasoft’s Ad-aware
- PepiMK’s Spybot Search and Destroy.