Update (1 November):

The RCIPS continues to receive reports of scammers contacting local banking customers claiming to be from a variety of organisations, including banks and credit card and money transfer companies.

Most recently, a member of the public fell victim to such a scam after clicking a link which was purportedly sent by their bank, and entering account information. Although they realised the suspicious nature of the link and contacted their bank shortly afterwards, funds had already been taken from the account. It is likely those funds will not be recovered.

The RCIPS Financial Crime Investigation Unit is taking this opportunity to remind the public that such scams remain prevalent, and to be extremely wary about contact, whether via text, email, or voice, from entities claiming to be your bank or other similar organisation, especially when they are requesting account details. It is always best to initiate contact with the organisation yourself, in order to verify any requests.

All local banking customers should remain on their guard so as not to fall victim. 

Update (28 August):

The RCIPS continues to receive reports from local banking customers who have received communication from scammers claiming to be conducting financial or fraud investigations. The goal of these scammers is persuading the customer to click on a link which will then give them access to the customer’s computer.

The scammers may initiate contact via phone or by email. Recently the RCIPS has received several reports of persons receiving emails which claim to be from the RCIPS, investigating complaints against the individual regarding previous transactions. A link is then provided where persons can view the details of the report. However, this link is fraudulent as described previously. Attached is a sample of one such email.

In the most recent reports where contact has been made via phone, the calls appear to be made from local Cayman phone numbers. However, these calls likely originate from overseas with local phone numbers being spoofed. The person making the call will then claim to be from a ‘Fraud Unit,’ usually of a local bank, and send a phishing link to be clicked, or request the victim to conduct some sort of transaction. Victims have reported the caller to be an Indian male.

Persons are advised to be wary of any emails purporting to be from the RCIPS, and to avoid clicking links in unsolicited emails. The official domain of the RCIPS is “rcips.ky” and not “rcips.com.” If an email is being sent from the latter domain, it is very likely to be fraudulent. If in doubt about any correspondence claiming to be from the RCIPS, it is best to contact the RCIPS Financial Crime Investigation Unit at [email protected].

Any person who has clicked such a link is advised to conduct a thorough evaluation of their PC using a reputable anti-virus software, or to have it analyzed by a computer technician. If you believe your accounts have been compromised, contact your bank immediately.

Initial Release (1 August):

RCIPS has received reports that local banking customers have received calls from overseas numbers from individuals claiming to be from their banks ’Fraud Unit’. The customer is informed that there are suspicious purchases on their account, and then sent a link to review the purchases.  The link, when clicked, gives the caller access to the customer’s computer.

Police advise banking customers to always be vigilant and not provide any personal banking details over the phone or click links provided by anyone claiming to be from your bank. Police further advise that if persons receive such a call, to contact their bank for confirmation of the claims being made before taking further action.

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