The bank urges shoppers and travellers to protect OTPs, PINs, CVVs and card details as digital transactions increase

Access Bank Plc has issued a fresh fraud warning to customers as increased shopping, travel and digital payments create more opportunities for scammers to target bank accounts and card users.

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The bank urged customers to be particularly cautious of unsolicited discounts, promotions and gift-card offers, warning that fraudsters may use attractive deals to trick victims into surrendering confidential banking information.

“Never share your OTP, CVV, PIN or card details to claim any offer,” Access Bank said in a fraud-prevention alert to customers.

The warning comes as consumers become more active across digital payment channels during the peak travel and shopping season, when online bookings, card payments and cross-border transactions typically become more frequent.

Access Bank said customers should treat unexpected messages about promotions or special offers with suspicion, particularly when the sender requests an OTP, card details or personal identification number.

The bank’s warning reflects a wider challenge facing Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital payments ecosystem, where greater convenience has also created new opportunities for financial scams.

Fraudsters can impersonate banks, retailers, travel companies and other legitimate businesses, using apparently genuine promotions to persuade customers to disclose information that can be used for unauthorised transactions.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has repeatedly warned customers not to disclose confidential banking information, including to people claiming to represent their financial institutions.

In March, the apex bank urged customers to protect their money by protecting their passwords, PINs and other banking details. (Punch Newspapers)

Access Bank has similarly maintained that it does not ask customers to disclose confidential credentials. Its anti-fraud guidance states that the bank will not request card details, CVV, OTP or PIN through unsolicited messages or calls.

The latest Access Bank fraud warning also reminds customers that they have measures available to protect their accounts if they suspect that their banking information has been compromised.

The bank said customers can block their accounts from any phone by dialling 901911#. Access Bank’s official customer support service also confirms that the USSD option can be used to block an account.

Customers can also use Tamada, the bank’s 24-hour virtual banking assistant, through the Access More application.

To access the service, customers are instructed to log into Access More, select “Support” and then choose “Chat with Tamada”.

The emphasis on immediate action is significant because fraudulent transactions can occur rapidly once criminals obtain sufficient account or card credentials.

Nigeria’s wider banking system has faced growing fraud risks as digital transactions have expanded.

Data contained in the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Nigeria Payments System Vision 2028 document showed that banks and customers lost a combined N134.48bn to fraud between 2020 and 2025, while attempted fraud during the six-year period amounted to N187.79bn.

The threat is also becoming more sophisticated. A 2026 industry report warned that artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to support fraud schemes, including highly targeted attacks and advanced social engineering.

The report said reported digital payment fraud losses fell to N25.85bn in 2025 from N52.26bn in 2024, but estimated that losses had still increased substantially since 2020.

Earlier in the year, Ecobank Nigeria also warned customers during a period of increased seasonal transactions to use trusted websites, avoid sharing PINs, passwords and OTPs, and refrain from banking over public Wi-Fi networks.

The broader warnings underline the importance of treating unsolicited financial requests with caution, particularly when they create a sense of urgency or promise unusually attractive rewards.

An OTP is designed to authenticate certain transactions or account activities, while a CVV provides additional verification for card payments.

A PIN, meanwhile, is a confidential credential used to authorise access or transactions. Sharing any of these details can expose customers to significant financial risk.

The danger is particularly pronounced when fraudsters combine social engineering with convincing messages that appear to come from trusted companies.

For consumers booking flights, hotels or holidays, purchasing goods online or responding to seasonal promotions, verifying an offer through the company’s official communication channels can help distinguish genuine promotions from fraudulent ones.

The key principle is straightforward: legitimate offers should not require customers to surrender confidential banking credentials simply to receive a discount, gift or promotional benefit.

Access Bank’s latest warning therefore serves as a timely reminder that increased digital convenience must be matched by greater vigilance.

Customers who receive unexpected requests for OTPs, PINs, CVVs or card details should avoid responding to the message and instead contact their bank through verified channels.

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As digital payments continue to expand in Nigeria, protecting financial information remains one of the most effective safeguards against an increasingly sophisticated and persistent fraud threat.