Fraud Warning – Form W8888

Banks and their customers are warned that attempts have recently been made by criminals to obtain details of bank customers. This has been achieved by intercepting mail from the banks, doctoring their headed paper and requesting the customers to provide confidential information in a form which is then asked to be faxed to the UK. It has been noted that customers in Africa seem to have been targeted.

Whilst it is perfectly correct for banks to seek and confirm customer details as part of their due diligence procedures, customers should never be providing their PIN details and should only give their password details when they are sure that they are dealing with the bank itself, having contacted the bank on its known regular numbers.

The recent attempts have requested that customers complete a Form W8888 which is said to be issued by the "Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service". The form is completely spurious and should not be completed. Customers are advised to notify their bank via their known contact numbers if they receive any such request.

If you require any further guidance on this matter then please contact Kevin Bown at the Guernsey Financial Services Commission on 44 1481 712706 or e-mail [email protected].