Suspicious Bank Alert Messages

A text can claim your card is locked, a payment is pending, or an account needs urgent verification. The situation may feel immediate, but following an unexpected link or calling its listed number can put your information at risk.

Pause and separate the claim from the message

The text may use the bank’s name, a familiar logo, or a short code. Those details do not by themselves prove the sender is the bank. A message that asks you to read out a one-time code, move money to a new account, install an app, or keep the conversation secret deserves extra caution. The FTC warns about unexpected calls claiming your money is at risk; the same independent-verification step applies to a text.

Check through your bank

Open the bank’s app yourself or call the number on the back of your card. Review recent activity there. Ask the bank directly whether it sent the alert and whether the claimed transaction exists. Do not rely on a phone number from the message or a sponsored search result for this first check. Never share a one-time verification code with someone who contacts you unexpectedly.

If the alert is genuine, follow the bank’s instructions through that trusted channel. If it is false, use your messaging app’s report-junk option or forward the message to 7726 (SPAM) where supported. The FTC explains spam-text reporting.

If you already responded

If you supplied account or card information, contact the bank through a trusted number as soon as possible and ask about protecting the account. If you shared a password or verification code, tell the bank exactly what happened. If you sent money, ask whether the transfer can be stopped or reversed. The recovery guide helps sort the next steps, and IdentityTheft.gov offers a plan if identity information was exposed.