An increase in cyber fraud cases has been observed during the holiday period, with criminals attempting to obtain bank card and personal data from customers through deceptive calls and messages, Azernews reports, citing Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
According to the ministry, fraud attempts are being carried out via phone calls on WhatsApp, Telegram and other social media platforms, as well as through fake loan offers and promotional campaigns aimed at misleading bank customers.
The Ministry emphasized that no bank or government institution ever requests card numbers, CVV/CVC codes or one-time SMS passwords (OTP) via phone calls, text messages or social networks.
‘Sharing such information can result in funds being stolen from bank accounts. Citizens who encounter suspicious calls, messages or links should immediately terminate communication and report the incident to the 102 emergency service, as well as to their servicing bank,’ the statement said.
The Ministry stressed that all bank card users must remain vigilant and should never share card details or verification codes with unknown individuals.
‘Be cautious-one phone call can put your financial security at risk,’ the Ministry warned.