Fraud Alert: InterSwitch, Banks Warn Debit Card Holders Not to Disclose PIN

InterSwitch, Nigeria’s premier payment switching solutions providers, has warned Nigeria Debit Card (NDC) holders not to disclose their cards' Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) to anyone under any guise.

The fraud alert in a jointly issued press statement by Interswitch and 23 member banks has become necessary as the company’s attention has been drawn to an SMS purported to have originated from InterSwitch, and asking millions of ATM card holders to register their cards online at www.interswitchnig.com
Interswitch's management, in a press statement issued, explained that the site was specially developed by the fraudsters to defraud unsuspecting debit card holders. "The website address www.interswitchnig.com is fake. Interswitch's registered address is www.interswitchng.com", the statement said.

However, the fraudulent website has since been shut down after Interswitch contacted the organisation hosting the website in the United State. The organisation has since sent an apology to InterSwitch. "In the interim, we have reported the case of the fraudulent website to the appropriate law enforcement authorities for investigation," the statement further explained.

While assuring numerous card holders that cards issued on InterSwitch platform remain valid, the statement read: "We are reassuring all ATM card holders that all ATM cards and other cards with the InterSwitch logo remain valid on all our channels such as ATMs, POS, PDA, mobile phones and web".
InterSwitch member banks are Access Bank, Afribank Nigeria, Diamond Bank, Ecobank, Equitorial Trust Bank, Fidelity Bank, First Inland Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, First City Monument Bank and GT Bank.
Others include IBTC Chartered Bank, Intercontinental Bank, Nigeria International Bank (Citibank), Oceanic Bank, Platinumhabib Bank, Skye Bank, Sterling Bank, Union Bank, United Bank for Africa, Wema Bank and Zenith Bank.