UBA Intensifies Fight Against Phishing, Scam as 2026 Fraud Awareness Week Begins

Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has stepped up its fight against fraud, urging customers and the public to stay alert to phishing scams where criminals increasingly use fake bank messages, cloned websites and impersonation accounts to steal account details and money.

To this end, the Bank is set to hold the 2026 edition of its Fraud Awareness Week, from Monday, November 16 to Friday, November 20, 2026, with the theme “Fraud Dynamics: Staying One Step Ahead.”

The annual programme brings together customers, staff and industry experts to raise awareness of emerging fraud trends and share practical ways to keep accounts safe.

The event coincides with International Fraud Awareness Week, observed globally in November.

UBA’s Group Chief Internal Auditor, Eugene Inotu, who spoke ahead of the campaign, said the bank wants every customer to recognise a phishing or fraud attempt before it causes harm.

“Fraudsters are counting on panic. They want you to click before you think, so the strongest defence is to pause,” Inotu said. “UBA will never ask for your PIN, password, OTP or BVN through a link, a text message, an email or a phone call. If a message asks for any of these, it is not from us, no matter how genuine it looks.”

Continuing, Inotu said, “Fraud keeps changing shape, and our customers need to keep pace with it. This year’s Fraud Awareness Week is about staying one step ahead, so that every customer knows how to spot a scam, verify a request and report it quickly.”

Phishing remains a common tactic among fraudsters, who impersonate banks through text messages, emails and social media, luring customers with fake account verification or restriction notices to cloned websites designed to steal login details, PINs, card numbers and BVNs.

These messages are increasingly difficult to identify, as fraudsters now personalise them with recipients’ names, phone numbers and familiar bank logos, while some follow up with calls impersonating bank officials to pressure victims into acting quickly.

Offering practical guidance, UBA’s Group Head, Brands, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Alero Ladipo, urged customers to treat every unsolicited link with suspicion and to confirm requests only through the Bank’s official channels.

She said, “Avoid clicking links in messages you did not ask for. Type the UBA website address directly into your browser or use the official UBA Mobile App, and download banking apps only from official app stores. If a request looks unusual, confirm it through our verified channels, including Leo, our virtual banking assistant, and our official contact centre.”

Continuing, she said, “If you receive a suspicious message or notice a transaction you did not initiate, report it to us directly at once using our verified phone numbers 07002255822 / 02012808800. or website you know is real (not the details provided in the suspicious message)so that we can secure your account.”

The week will close with a panel discussion on “The Changing Face of Digital Fraud: Staying Ahead of Emerging Threats,” bringing together experts from payments, law enforcement, telecommunications and internal audit to examine how fraud schemes move across platforms and how each sector can shut them down.

The panel will feature Assistant Commissioner of Police with the Nigeria Police Force Special Fraud Unit, T. Y. Mahmud; Gloworld executive, Sunday Alani; and Chairperson of the Association of Chief Audit Executives of Banks in Nigeria (ACAEBIN), Aina Amah. The discussion will be moderated by Manager, Industry Fraud Desk at the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), Oluwatosin Obadimu.

The Fraud Awareness Week reflects UBA’s belief that a well-informed customer is the first line of defence against fraud, and complements the Bank’s ongoing investment in security technology and staff training across its markets.

United Bank for Africa is one of Africa’s leading financial institutions and one of the largest employers in the continent’s financial sector, with approximately 25,000 employees and over 45 million customers globally.

Operating in 20 African countries, as well as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, advancing financial inclusion and leveraging technology to deliver innovative financial solutions.