Fraud – misuse of ECB name and logo

Do criminals use the ECB’s name and/or logo for fraudulent purposes?

Yes. Members of the public often report fraud schemes in which the name and/or logo of the ECB are misused, as well as schemes where ECB staff members are impersonated. In other cases criminals use phone numbers, email addresses or websites that look like they are from the ECB.

If something feels off about an email you receive, do not click on any link contained in that email, do not open any of its attachments and do not respond to any invitations or campaigns.

If someone contacts you saying that they work for the ECB and are holding money that belongs to you, it is a scam. We don’t hold accounts for members of the public.

If you receive an unsolicited call from what appears to be an ECB phone number (i.e. +49 69 1344 XXXX) or email address, do not give out any personal or financial information. 

The ECB will never ask you for your personal data by post, email, phone, text message or instant message. Members of the Executive Board will never contact you about personal wealth or financial matters or to promote investment schemes.

What are the most common types of fraud?

The most common types of scam involve fraudsters:

• creating fake social media profiles of members of the Executive Board or the ECB to promote investments 
• telling people that the ECB is collecting cross-border transfer fees
• claiming that the ECB is a commercial bank providing online banking services
• asking people to make a payment via a fake ECB online banking website or a fake ECB customer service department
• asking people to make a payment because the ECB is blocking a money transfer
• requesting a payment because the ECB is collecting deposits or payments for purchasing/cashing in bitcoin or other crypto-assets, or because it is recovering funds for people who have become victims of fraud
• encouraging people to take out loans from the ECB on very attractive terms
• contacting people from what appears to be an ECB phone number (i.e. +49 69 1344 XXXX) or email address for no apparent reason or without any prior exchange
• pretending to work for companies which act on behalf of the ECB, for example to recover money previously lost in scams

These are all scams.

How can I recognise a fraudulent scheme involving the name and/or logo of the ECB?

Messages from fraudsters often look like they have come from the ECB, but they typically contain errors. Here are some tips that will help you to recognise a scam:

• Check the sender of the email: an email sent by the ECB will always come from an email address ending in @ecb.europa.eu or @ecb.int. Never trust a forwarded email. Be aware that email addresses may be forged to make them appear as if they have been sent by the ECB (“email spoofing”).
• Check the links in the email: hover your cursor over the link (without clicking on it). This will display the full text of the link. Some email programmes will display it at the bottom of the screen. If the link does not include “ecb.europa.eu”, the email is probably fraudulent.
• Check the text in emails or on websites for unusual wording, spelling mistakes and typographical errors.
• Check the phone number of the unsolicited caller: if it appears to be an ECB phone number (+49 69 1344 XXXX), you may have been subject to “caller ID spoofing”. This is when a caller knowingly falsifies the information transmitted to disguise the number they are calling from.
• In fake videos, even when artificial intelligence has been used, the voice might not be properly synchronised with the speaker’s lips and the image may have faults in it.
• In general, be suspicious of unexpected emails or calls or any websites, videos or other forms of communication that ask you to take immediate action (e.g. urgently transfer money) or look too good to be true.

What can you do to protect yourself?

Never transfer any money without knowing who will receive it, and never disclose information such as your bank account number, details of your personal ID or any other personal information.

The ECB is not responsible for the misuse of its name, logo and/or address and/or phone numbers by scams seeking to defraud members of the public. Report cases of fraud to the police or seek advice from the relevant national competent authorities.