How UBL is combating Social Engineering through customer education campaigns

UBL is at the forefront of teaching customers how to remain safe in the online space and utilize their banking services while being vigilant of fraudsters. Social Engineering remains one of the most common techniques to exploit information from users and gain access to their systems, Just a few weeks back, Twitter’s own employee team and their systems were compromised due to a social engineering campaign through which employee systems were accessed and this allowed the hackers to send out tweets from verified profiles and even access the DMs and download account data.

So what essentially is Social Engineering? It is the intentional manipulation of people to divulge confidential information or performing certain actions which can lead to their accounts being compromised. One of the most common schemes in Pakistan are fake messages related to the Benazir Income Support program. UBL has certain mechanisms in place and is looking to educate customers. The following are general ways attackers will try to get hold of your bank accounts:

Fake Calls and SMS

Someone pretending to be from the bank or part of a fake scheme may call you and ask for your bank account information. Even if a hacker has got hold of your mobile banking app password somehow, the OTP stands as a second layer of defense and will prevent the hacker from accessing your bank account information. If you receive a fake SMS and fake calls, call the UBL customer support to report the incident and the number plus ask them to reset your password as soon as possible.

Phishing Emails

Phishing emails are also quite common and they will ask you to click on links towards some lucky draw or prize. It’s important to identify whether they are legitimate or not plus you need to ensure that you have the bank’s correct email address in your safe sender list. Any other emails which you receive will more or less likely be a fraud and they will be looking to exploit your information.

If you receive a fake email, simply delete it without opening. Mark the email as spam or as a phishing scam so that whatever email service you are using can mark similar messages as spam automatically in future.

How UBL Helps Customers?

UBL is continually running campaigns through email, social media and SMS to educate customers on the importance of secure banking. They are not only educating customers but their staff also goes through regular training programs designed to increase their knowledge of online security and prevent any system breach which may exploit customer sensitive data. The training of customers is being done in both Urdu and English so that the average customer can understand how to conduct bank transactions in a secure manner.

Making Transactions Safe and Easy – The UBL Digital App

UBL offers its customers the UBL Digital App through which they can conduct transactions through their phones easily. Through the app, any customer can check his and her bank account balance, debit/credit card information, pay bills online and send money to anyone with just a few taps. The app also forecasts your expenses and gives you an overview of how much you spent in a particular month, which is a neat feature to help you control your spending and save more! The app offers an intuitive user interface with fast access using Touch ID as well as discounts at popular outlets with QR code payment functionality as well.

In short, remember to keep your account credentials safe and never share them with anyone. Download the UBL Digital App on your phone via the Android Play Store or Apple App Store to conduct transactions from the comfort of your home! If you receive a fake call or SMS, report it to the UBL customer support as soon as possible. Never open suspicious emails and change your mobile banking app password and ATM on a regular basis to be safe!