25.09.2026

Protect your card(s) and do not install any “security apps”

We are currently observing a new scam pattern in which you are asked to install a special “security app” and then hold your debit or credit card against your smartphone. The fraudsters, who pretend to be bank employees during a phone call, claim that there has been “unauthorized access” to your account.

How the scam works

• You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a bank employee or an automated call asks you to ring a particular number.

• You are warned about a supposedly “suspicious transaction” or a “security issue”.

• You are instructed to install and start a supposed “security app” via a WhatsApp message (currently mainly targeting Android devices).

• You are then asked to activate the NFC function on your smartphone and hold your bank card against the device.

• In most cases, you are also asked to provide your card PIN (over the phone or in the “security app”).

• The fraudsters use the information and data obtained in this way for fraudulent transactions.

All of these requests are fraudulent.

Anyone who follows these instructions risks a misuse of their card and financial losses.

Good to know

Erste Bank und Sparkassen will never ask you by phone to:

• install a security app that has been sent to you,

• hold your card against a smartphone,

• or disclose your card PIN.