Access Bank Unveils USSD Code to Block Fraudulent Withdrawals

By Sodeinde Temidayo David

Nigerian multinational commercial bank, Access Bank plc, has hammered the necessity of *901*911#, an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code self-service function, to protect customers and curb fraudulent acts.

This new initiative by the bank is to promote its commitment to safeguarding the investments and savings of customers.

The *901*911# USSD code is a solution that allows customers to act swiftly to prevent fraudulent activities on their accounts, especially fraudulent withdrawals.

The service allows customers to deactivate their USSD profile once their mobile devices get lost or stolen, using any alternative phone number, giving account holders full autonomy to safeguard their funds before official reports are directed to the bank.

The self-service allows customers of all account types to deactivate a USSD profile simply by dialling *901*911# from any phone, inputting the registered phone number for the account to be protected and this automatically locks out fraudsters from the individual’s account.

Commenting on the new service, the executive director, Retail Banking at Access Bank, Mr Victor Etuokwu, said, “It has also come to our attention that there has been an increase in the number of fraudsters disguising themselves as bank representatives.

“Hence, we will like to once again urge all customers to be wary of this tact and to ignore any message demanding personal or bank details.

“Access Bank will never ask for your BVN, full card PAN, PIN, mobile app activation code, OTP or password as it is readily available to the bank via its database.”

Over the years, Access Bank has remained committed to educating its customers, informing and protecting them from fraudsters.

The lender also has dedicated pages on its official website that constantly update customers on the schemes fraudsters employ to defraud them.

It noted that it has done this while bringing to the public notice the quickest platforms to access help in the event of any suspected fraud case.