The National Bank of Moldova warns the Moldovans to maintain a high degree of confidentiality of payment card data. This data constitutes personal information that must not be disclosed in any form, not even to representatives of banking institutions. The call comes after law enforcement officers uncovered a case of fraud through which unauthorized access to the payment card to steal money was obtained, IPN reports.

The employees of the National Bank of Moldova reiterate that they do not contact any natural or legal person by phone or other means to request personal data.

“If you are contacted by people who ask for your personal data and present themselves as NBM employees, you should know that you are the victim of a scam,” warns the NBM.

The central bank worked out a set of guidelines that are accessible on its website, where it provides detailed information on the data security measures associated with payment cards.

A day ago, the police informed that a man from Bender was detained on suspicion that he stole 100,000 lei from the bank card of an old man from Hâncesti. He introduced himself as an employee of the National Bank of Moldova and told the man that he noticed that someone was trying to take a bank loan in his name. Thus, he managed to obtain identity and bank data from the old man. It happened in March 2024, when the victim was contacted by phone. Half an hour after the phone conversation, the suspect, a 41-year-old man, entered a number of stores in Anenii-Noi and bought three expensive phones and accessories, in the amount of about 80,000 lei. Subsequently, about 15,000 thousand lei was transferred from the victim’s account to Kazakhstan. The day after he was called, the old man contacted his bank, which informed him about the made purchases. The man notified the law enforcement agencies. The suspect was identified and was detained when he attempted to leave the country.