The Albanian Association of Banks calls on citizens not to show curiosity toward the tempting offers of fake traders who often use well-known business names or brand

Cases of theft of citizens' bank accounts from fake websites have been identified. So far, the people behind these frauds are foreign nationals who make tempting offers on the websites of Albanian businesses to steal the personal and banking data of Albanian citizens.

In a statement to the media, the Secretary of the Albanian Association of Banks (AAB), Spiro Brumbulli, said that these fraudulent attempts have been circulating for some time.

"These scams come by text message on the phone and can also happen by email to a personal address. Even those that appear on social networks, after clicking on them, ask for banking and personal data alike. If you follow the suggested links, they ask for personal data and security data, such as codes, PINs, etc., as in a real case, but the money goes to their accounts because the link is on a fake page," said Brumbulli.

The Albanian Association of Banks calls on citizens not to show curiosity toward the tempting offers of these fake traders who often use well-known business names or brands.

"Delete any message or email coming from an unknown source that asks you to perform actions on quoted links, or to make a call to the number indicated in the text. Make online payments only at trusted stores and merchants, after you have verified their official website or if you have previously made a successful purchase. Periodically check the activity of your account through the online banking service and activate the notification services. Notify your bank immediately to trace the source of the message and take measures to block the sender,” he said.

Banks advise customers to exercise caution when sharing bank details with others.