Personal Finance

Scam text message, account security

  • Last Updated:
  • Mar 11th, 2022 3:06 pm
[OP]
Sr. Member
Oct 15, 2017
569 posts
368 upvotes
Canada

Scam text message, account security

Received the following text message. Not going to click on anything or reply.

“ABC Bank ABC: Your debit card starting with ###### has been restricted. Please complete the following form to avoid account limitation. Reply YES to enroll or HELP for options. Reply YES to enroll or HELP for alternative.”

Apart from the bank name (which I changed above for security) and first 6 digits of my card number, the message is exactly as it was received. Most definitely a scam.

My question is, does it mean my account has been hacked? How did they get the first 6 digits of debit card? The text was sent to my number that the bank has on file. I will request a new debit card. Is there anything else I can do to secure my account? I rarely use my debit card, since the pandemic hit. Mostly online using cc.

Thanks @simrannagra9:
simrannagra9 wrote: All the debit cards of a bank have the same first 6 digits. You can check with anyone having same bank as yours and you will see the above. This scam is basically targeting the same logic you thought of I.e. they have my card number starting digits right so it must be compromised.
Last edited by dsweetlou on Mar 10th, 2022 7:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
10 replies
Deal Expert
User avatar
Mar 9, 2007
15179 posts
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Think of the Childre…
Yeah, enable 2FA.

WOULD SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!
Newbie
Sep 17, 2012
75 posts
67 upvotes
Brampton
All the debit cards of a bank have the same first 6 digits. You can check with anyone having same bank as yours and you will see the above. This scam is basically targeting the same logic you thought of I.e. they have my card number starting digits right so it must be compromised.
[OP]
Sr. Member
Oct 15, 2017
569 posts
368 upvotes
Canada
Cheapo-Findo wrote: Yeah, enable 2FA.
Had that setup for a while now, but it uses sms, and cell numbers can be sim hijacked or whatever the term is. Wondering how they got my number and first 6 digits of debit card. Could it be an inside job?
[OP]
Sr. Member
Oct 15, 2017
569 posts
368 upvotes
Canada
simrannagra9 wrote: All the debit cards of a bank have the same first 6 digits. You can check with anyone having same bank as yours and you will see the above. This scam is basically targeting the same logic you thought of I.e. they have my card number starting digits right so it must be compromised.
**** me, that would do it! Guess the same thing for credit cards, where first digits are the same. Thanks, panic averted.
Deal Expert
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Dec 12, 2009
26022 posts
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Toronto
Legit notification text messages from the bank make reference to card ending in, not beginning with.
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Deal Addict
May 16, 2017
2495 posts
3297 upvotes
dsweetlou wrote: Had that setup for a while now, but it uses sms, and cell numbers can be sim hijacked or whatever the term is. Wondering how they got my number and first 6 digits of debit card. Could it be an inside job?
All they need at best is anything that links a phone number and a bank, once they know the bank they know the first 6 digits of the debit card. Or, as is often the case, they know nothing and just spam blast all valid phone numbers with the same message and hope for a few positive hits especially if it is one of the BIg5 banks in question here.

Don't give scammers credit for more sophistication of complex hacks than necessary. Most scams work on people being gullible, panicking and willingly giving up their information.
Deal Addict
Sep 2, 2009
2563 posts
2556 upvotes
Ottawa
dsweetlou wrote: **** me, that would do it! Guess the same thing for credit cards, where first digits are the same. Thanks, panic averted.
The old scam was calling someone and doing the same thing: fraud suspected / locking account / etc, please confirm your card starts with 123456, yes? Please confirn you have the last numbers.
Temp. Banned
Jun 24, 2015
7649 posts
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agreed, just safeguard yourself, shred all important documents, do not throw them in the trash, do not leave receipts lying around with personal info, lock your desk at work, etc.
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Member
Nov 26, 2012
431 posts
471 upvotes
Toronto
lol they don't even know what bank you are with. I would get these for BMO but I don't even have a BMO account and have never held one....So I'm sure they just send it to whatever numbers they could get their hands on and hope to get lucky that you have that bank's account and fall for the scam.

With so few banks in Canada, the odds are in their favor.
Sr. Member
Nov 30, 2018
648 posts
682 upvotes
Toronto, ON
I got a similar text too. My phone number, Bank (TD), and 1st 6 digits of my debit card matched. I deleted the text without clicking on the link. Checked my account, nothing was stolen.

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