Khaberni - The Executive Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Directorate at the Jordan Central Bank, Lama Al-Samhouri, stated that the bank has deployed a new awareness campaign called "Transitional Journey" to enhance financial awareness among citizens, emphasizing that the current stage requires everyone to learn the basics of digital safety to avoid falling victim to rising financial frauds.
Al-Samhouri explained that the Central Bank receives many complaints related to financial fraud, pointing out that any simple information provided by the customer can be the key to hacking their account.
In this context, she clarified that the bank will not communicate by phone with any client to request their account's password, stating that such requests are a clear indicator of a fraud attempt.
She added that the campaign aims to reach an aware and secure community, whose members have sufficient caution to prevent being victimized by fraud, noting that the efforts are intensified via social media to reach the largest possible segment of citizens.
She affirmed that fraudsters mainly target individuals due to the difficulty of hacking technical systems of banks and financial institutions, relying on fake links that may not differ from the original ones except by subtle differences that are hard to notice.
Regarding responsibility, Al-Samhouri emphasized that if a customer falls victim to fraud, it does not hold the financial institution accountable if it is proven that the breach was due to the customer disclosing their data.
"Ghalatet Al-Shater" Campaign
Al-Samhouri disclosed about the "Ghalatet Al-Shater" campaign which consists of three stages, with the first two focusing on awareness and education, especially during times like Ramadan, when fraudsters exploit the increased financial activity to breach accounts.
She alerted the severity of sharing one-time passwords, explaining that giving it to a fraudster allows them to completely modify the account's data.
She also noted that banks are considering switching to notification systems through banking applications instead of one-time passwords to enhance protection levels.
On another note, Al-Samhouri clarified that the bank is obliged to reflect any changes in the interest rates applied to customers' loans at the time of periodic adjustment, stating that if a customer fails to make three consecutive payments, their name will be provided to the Jordan Credit Company in accordance with approved procedures.
Moreover, a member of the cybersecurity awareness campaign committee, Grace Keshk, confirmed that financial frauds are continuously increasing, and the citizen remains the primary victim of these crimes.
Keshk emphasized that requesting a one-time password from a client signifies an actual risk, explaining that the bank does not request this password as it is the entity that sends them initially.
Keshk added that banks apply the highest standards of cybersecurity and protection, but this does not absolve citizens of the responsibility to be vigilant and cautious, noting that awareness is ongoing and successful primarily depending on individual awareness and their commitment not to share their banking data under any circumstances.
