Latest fraud and scam warnings

Scams are becoming increasingly more sophisticated. Find out what to do if you're contacted unexpectedly by phone, email, or text message.

We've seen more reports of a fixed term deposit scam. We are aware of a number of our customers (and non-customers) getting this scam recently.  In some cases the scammers impersonate genuine staff members. Their communications look very convincing and professional.

Criminals are obtaining your details from a fake comparison site and are then posing as employees from HSBC. Scammers will then send you fraudulent emails and brochures branded as HSBC, with offers that are too good to be true, asking you to contact them for further information. Scammers will then provide a BSB and account number for you to deposit money into. This may or may not be an HSBC account number.

Example:

1. You get an email from an address that resembles "john.smith@hsbc.wealth-au.com". This is not an HSBC email address.
2. The subject of the email may appear to be similar to "HSBC Bank Australia - Your Enquiry into HSBC Fixed Income". This is not a real HSBC offer.
3. The emails and attached brochures are made to look like real HSBC information and use HSBC logos, images and branding. The contents of these emails and brochures talk about offers that are too good to be true to ensure they have your interest.
4. When you call the number provided in the email and documents they are then connected to the scammer. The scammer will ask you to share information on what they would like to invest, and possibly ask for additional security information.
5. The scammers will then provide a BSB and account number for you to deposit money into. This may or may not be an HSBC account number.
6. The scammers then send a fake confirmation email.

The scammer is trying to trick you into transferring funds directly to the their account and may even provide a receipt of deposit.

Scammers may use real staff names to provide confidence to the investor should they call our contact centre or use social media to validate the staff member's name. The fake contact numbers and email will always go direct to the scammer.

Criminals are posing as your bank and sending messages asking you to call a number. Once on the phone the scammer will often then ask you share sensitive information to allow them to gain access to your account.

Example:

1. Customer receives a text that says "Your transaction of 7910 AUD has been held for security reasons Please call us urgently on 6128529xxxx. "
2. Customer then calls the number provided and is connected to the scammer
3. On the call the scammer asks the customer to generate a code using their app to verify themselves.

In the scenario the scammer is trying to login to the customers account and requires the customers security code to gain access.

Here's what to do if you're a victim of a scam, your bank details have been compromised, or if you're simply worried about fraud on your account.

Call HSBC and press '*' followed by '1'

(+612) 9005 8220

You can also visit your nearest HSBC branch.