Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – The Association of Montenegrin Banks (UBCG) has appealed to citizens to be cautious and not to open suspicious links, download unknown files, or enter or share personal, banking, or other sensitive data, and to ignore and delete messages they were not expecting.

UBCG stated in a press release that, fraudulent activity typically intensifies during the holiday period, with scammers using different methods, while artificial intelligence enables them to act in increasingly sophisticated ways.

“Scammers use similar web addresses, clone bank and postal service websites, and ask users to download attachments, for example related to parcel delivery. Always access online banking pages directly by typing the address into your web browser, rather than clicking on links in emails,” UBCG warned.

They added that fraudulent links often come via SMS messages or emails that appear to be from a bank but lead to websites resembling legitimate ones, prompting users to confirm details or update their accounts.

“Do not do this. Do not share information about your payment cards, nor photos of your cards. Banks will never ask their clients to provide login credentials for mobile or e-banking applications, sensitive payment card details, SMS activation codes, or transaction verification codes. Fraud is carried out through fake applications, links within SMS or email messages that resemble bank communications, all with the aim of obtaining data such as passwords, PINs, card numbers, expiration dates, i.e. everything that enables access to your account and the withdrawal of funds,” UBCG stated.