Fake bank fraud alert texts and calls

The Scam

According to AARP, criminals posing as your bank's security department send texts, emails and robocalls warning of unusual or possibly fraudulent activity on your account that needs immediate action. Some texts say your account has been locked; others ask you to verify a large purchase, and if you reply "no," someone claiming to be the bank calls you. The goal is to get your account numbers and login information, or to get you to move your money "for safekeeping" into accounts the criminals control. In a newer twist, AARP says, impersonators send a courier to your home to pick up your money. The FBI has also warned of callers who tell you to cut up your card but leave the chip intact, then send a "bank representative" to collect it.

The Targets

Bank customers, especially people signed up for text alerts from their bank, since the fake messages look like real fraud alerts. AARP's Fraud Watch Network Helpline says it is hearing from more people about these scams.

Red flags

• A text, email or call saying there's fraud on your account and you must act immediately
• A call from "the bank" right after you answer a text about a purchase (AARP says real verification texts come from the bank's automated fraud controls, so an immediate follow-up call is a red flag)
• Being asked for your account number, PIN, password or a one-time login code
• Being told to transfer or withdraw money, use a payment app, or put cash into a cryptocurrency kiosk to keep it "safe"
• An offer to send a courier to pick up your money or your card
• Caller ID showing your bank's name or number (scammers can fake it)

Your Move

• Don't click links or call numbers in the message; hang up and contact your bank using the number on your statement or card, or a website address you know
• Never share your PIN, password, account number or a one-time code with someone who contacted you
• Never move money to a "safe" account or hand cash or cards to a courier
• If you lost money, contact your bank immediately (it may be able to halt the transaction) and file a police report
• Report it to the FBI at IC3.gov, and call the free AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 for help

More steps for any scam link: I clicked a scam link. What now?

Still circulating?

An AARP Fraud Watch Network scam alert published Oct. 17, 2026 says its helpline is hearing from more people about bank impersonation scams, including instructions to wire money, use a payment app, or withdraw cash and put it into a cryptocurrency kiosk for "safekeeping."

Related sources

• AARP scam alert: Fake bank alert: Don't hand over your code (Boothbay Register, Oct. 17, 2026)