Kenyan banks combat rising phone scams with new verification tools and strict guidelines

Equity Bank warns customers about increasingly persuasive phone scams exploiting trust and urgency, and introduces new tools to verify dubious requests amid a surge in fraud targeting bank clients.

Phone scams are becoming one of the most effective ways fraudsters target bank customers, with criminals relying less on hacking and more on persuasion. In a recent warning, Equity Bank said impostors are using text messages, emails and phone calls to push victims into acting before they check whether a request is genuine. The tactics often exploit ordinary pressures such as paying rent, settling school fees or handling a family emergency.

One of the most common tricks is the fake security alert, in which a customer is told their account has been suspended or needs urgent verification. The message usually contains a link to a counterfeit banking site designed to steal login details. Equity Bank advises customers to ignore unsolicited links and use only its official channels, including the mobile app, Equitel, USSD or Equity Online for Individuals. The bank’s information security guidance also says customers should avoid clicking on unexpected banking links, use strong, unique passwords and check accounts regularly for suspicious activity.

Fraudsters also lean on greed and urgency. Some promise prizes or shopping vouchers that do not exist, then ask for account details or a small payment to release the winnings. Others send instructions to transfer money to a phone number, claiming it will resolve an account problem or complete a transaction. Equity Bank says it will not ask customers to send money to a personal number to fix a banking issue, and it warns that legitimate promotions never require passwords, PINs or one-time passcodes.

Other scams are built around trust and emotion. Tenants may be told a landlord has changed banking details, parents may receive messages about a sudden change in school payment accounts and callers may claim a relative needs urgent medical help. Another common fraud involves a caller posing as a bank employee and asking the customer to read out an OTP, a code that can be used to approve transactions or reset access. Equity Bank says it will never request an OTP or PIN.

The bank also warns of verification calls that appear to come from official sources and use a range of excuses, including KRA PIN checks or suspected account problems, to harvest confidential information. It says all official calls originate from 0763 000 000 and suspicious messages can be reported to 333 free of charge. ScamBusterKE, a Kenyan verification platform, has also emerged as a tool for checking phone numbers, Paybills and company details before sending money, reflecting the wider push to help consumers slow down and verify requests before they act. Equity Bank says customers who become victims should contact its customer care team immediately, change passwords, freeze cards if needed and report identity theft or fraud to the authorities where appropriate.