Rabobank NZ

What real Rabobank communications look like

• Rabobank states it will never ask for your PIN and never ask for your password
• Rabobank will never remotely connect to your computer or other devices, under any circumstances
• Rabobank will never ask you to provide your banking passwords, PINs or two-factor authentication codes, or to share your credit card details
• Rabobank will never ask you to transfer money to a "safe" account, buy gift cards, or set up a cryptocurrency account
• Rabobank will never ask you to download software or allow remote access to your device
• If someone calls claiming to be Rabobank and asks you to move your money to protect it, hang up and call Rabobank straight away on a number from its official website
• Genuine contact numbers: 0800 500 933 for Agribusiness clients (+64 9 975 2514 from overseas) and 0800 22 44 33 for Rabobank Online Savings customers (+64 9 975 2512 from overseas). Fraud lines are staffed Monday to Friday during business hours; the lost or stolen card line on 0800 500 933 is open 24/7. Outside business hours, use the online report-a-scam form
• Rabobank is part of the NZ banks' Confirmation of Payee service, which checks that the account name matches the account number before you pay a new payee. A "Not a match" result is a reason to stop and check, but a "Match" result does not prove the request itself is genuine

Common spoof patterns

• Bank impersonation: texts or calls saying your account has been compromised and you must move your money to a "safe account"
• Phishing emails and texts with a link to a fake Rabobank login page that collects your account details
• Invoice and payment-redirect scams: a supplier's or colleague's email account is hacked and the bank details on an invoice are changed, or a "senior employee" asks a colleague for an urgent transfer. These target businesses most
• Tech support and remote access scams: someone posing as your bank, ISP or a tech company gets you to install software, then logs in to your internet banking and moves funds
• Recovery room scams: after a loss, a third party offers to get your money back for an upfront fee. Rabobank warns that scammers may also pretend to be from your bank
• Pressure tactics: Rabobank lists urgency, requests for payment by gift card, bitcoin or prepaid card, generic greetings and bad grammar as key warning signs

Note for NZ organisations

Rabobank NZ is best known for agribusiness banking, so its business clients, including farms, orchards, processors and rural suppliers, are the natural target. Payment-redirect and fake-invoice fraud suits these businesses well because they pay large, irregular invoices to many suppliers. A changed bank account on a familiar supplier's invoice should always be confirmed by phoning a number you already hold, not one on the email. If money has already been sent, call Rabobank immediately, as speed matters when trying to recall a payment.