Did You Make This $900 Purchase?

Protect yourself

Contact your bank through its official app or the number on your card.

How it works

A text claiming to be from your bank asks you to reply YES or NO about a suspicious transaction. Responding may connect you with a scammer.

Replying NO triggers a phone call from the "fraud department", which is the scammer. They then walk you through "reversing" the charge, which means reading them your login and codes.

Red flags

A follow-up call minutes after you reply
A fraud agent who asks for your online banking password or a code
A transaction at a store or in a city you've never been to

If it already happened

If you already tapped the link and entered card or login details: call your bank from the number on your card, and change the password anywhere you used it. If you replied, expect more messages; block the number and delete the thread. Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can act on them.

Where OpenEFA fits

Texts never pass through a mail gateway. Treat every unexpected payment link on your phone the way you'd treat one in email: open the official app instead.

Scam Watch No. 22 · EFA Security · efasecurity.com/scam-watch/ · Print this page and post it where your team will see it.

No. 21: Final Notice: Unpaid Traffic Ticket! No. 23: Sorry, Is This the Wrong Number?

Part of the OpenEFA MailGuard Scam Watch series. Published October 21, 2026 by the EFA Security team. Share it freely; a link back is appreciated.

At a glance

Type: Text Message Scam
Channel: Text Message Scams (Smishing)
They want: Your card number or your login
One rule: Real fraud alerts never need your password or a code.

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All 24 alerts

Phone, email and text message scams, each on one page.

Scam Watch index