ATM Card Blocked? Beware of This SMS Scam Making Rounds Again

There is a common SMS scam that has surfaced yet again. This text message warns you that the State Bank has blocked your ATM card due to non-verification and you need to contact a certain phone number to keep using your card. Here is what it looks like. Note that the SMS comes from someone’s phone number rather than an official number. It provides another personal mobile number for you to contact rather than a bank helpline. It also communicates in poor English, which is usually not the case with texts from official sources. You can also confirm if your debit/credit card works through your banking app or by using it at an ATM. We recommend completely ignoring such texts, blocking the number, and even reporting them through Google’s reporting feature. This isn’t the first time this scam has appeared on SMS texts. It has been plaguing smartphone users for years but has surfaced again. We at ProPakistani recently received such texts and heard similar reports from other users. There is a similar SMS fraud that goes around time and time again. It claims that your package from an online order has been confiscated or delayed since it has an incomplete address. It tells you to verify your information at a malicious link and then asks for money. These scammers often pose as officials from Pakistan Post, but Pakistan Post’s official website has had a banner warning against these fake SMS texts for ages now.