Is a VoIP call from an overseas number pretending to be a local bank a scam?
Yes. Scammers use cheap internet calling services to impersonate banks from anywhere in the world.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Explanation
Voice over IP technology allows anyone to make calls that appear to originate from any country code, often displaying a local or even your specific bank's number on your caller ID. The caller claims to be from your bank's fraud or security department and says suspicious activity has been detected. They then try to extract your online banking credentials, card number, one-time passcode, or instruct you to move funds. No bank initiates a call and then asks you to enter or read out your full security details on the same call. If you receive such a call, hang up and wait at least 10 minutes — scammers can keep the line open — then call your bank from the number on your card.
Number spoofing means caller ID is a label, not evidence — anyone with cheap software can display your bank's exact number. Well-run operations add background call-centre noise, scripted hold music, and colleagues who 'escalate' you between departments, because every layer of theatre makes the eventual request seem routine. The details they quote about you come from breach data, not from your bank.
One-time passcodes deserve special caution: a caller who asks you to read out a code that was just texted to you is almost certainly using it to authorise a payment or login at that moment. Banks generate those codes for you to type, never to recite to a person. Whatever the pretext, ending the call and dialling the number on your card costs one minute and defeats the entire setup.
Common red flags
- Caller claims to be from your bank's fraud team
- Caller ID matches your bank's number
- Asked for your full PIN, card number, or online banking password
- Told to act immediately or your money will be lost
- Call quality is slightly delayed or robotic
What to do now
- Hang up without providing any information
- Wait 10 minutes or use a different phone line before calling back
- Call your bank using the official number on the back of your card
- Report the call to your national fraud reporting service
Frequently asked questions
Why wait 10 minutes before calling my bank back?
Landline scammers can hold the line open so your return call connects back to them. Waiting, or using a mobile, ensures the fraudulent call is properly ended.
The caller offered to prove themselves by telling me my own account details — convincing?
No. Details flow to your bank, never from it. Anything a caller recites about you was obtained from breaches or earlier phishing. A genuine bank will happily let you hang up and call back through the official number.