30th October 2025, Kathmandu
Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB), a key government-owned commercial bank in Nepal, has issued an urgent public warning against a surge of fake and misleading advertisements circulating on social media, particularly Facebook.
RBB Warns Against Scams
This proactive alert highlights a critical and growing trend of cyber fraud in the Nepali financial sector, where scammers impersonate trusted financial institutions to lure customers. The bank’s action is a crucial step in protecting its clientele from sophisticated attacks like phishing and identity theft.
The Anatomy of the Current Cyber Scam
The fraudulent advertisements flagged by RBB typically employ social engineering tactics to manipulate the customer’s trust and lure them into a trap. These scams thrive on the promise of an easy and immediate financial reward.
Lure with False Promises: The core deceptive element is the offer of a substantial cash bonus or prize, such as the falsely promoted “RBB Bank survey” promising NPR 10,000. This strategy exploits the public’s desire for quick financial gains, especially appealing in a challenging economic climate.
The Phishing Mechanism: By urging users to participate in a “survey” or “click suspicious links,” the fraudsters attempt to direct victims to a fraudulent website designed to mimic the bank’s official page. The goal is to collect confidential and personal information, including banking credentials, personal details, or mobile banking MPINs, a classic phishing attack.
Risk of Identity Theft: Providing information to these unofficial sites exposes the user to immediate cyber fraud and the long-term risk of identity theft. This information can be used to drain bank accounts, take out loans, or commit further fraud under the victim’s name, demonstrating the grave consequences of clicking unverified links.
Official RBB Guidance for Secure Banking
Rastriya Banijya Bank’s official statement provides clear and essential guidelines that all customers must follow to ensure digital safety, reinforcing the bank’s existing security protocols for services like their RBB Digital Sansar app.
Exclusive Verification Channels: The bank firmly directs customers to rely only on its official website (www.rbb.com.np) and verified social media channels for any authentic updates, offers, or announcements. The core principle is that genuine promotions will always be published on the bank’s official, secure platforms first.
The No-Ask Policy: RBB explicitly states that it never requests personal or banking information through unofficial websites, third-party links, or social media messages. This is the single most important rule in digital banking security: a genuine bank will never ask you to divulge sensitive information like passwords, card numbers, or OTPs through unsecure channels.
Immediate Reporting: Customers are advised not only to avoid suspicious activities but also to immediately report any fraudulent advertisements to the bank or relevant cybercrime authorities. In Nepal, the Nepal Police’s Cyber Bureau is the specialized unit for handling such complaints.
Broader Context of Cybercrime in Nepal
This warning is not an isolated incident but is part of a growing wave of cyber scams targeting Nepali users. As digital banking and mobile wallet transactions expand rapidly across the nation, so do the opportunities for digital criminals.
Evolving Scam Tactics: Scammers in Nepal are employing increasingly complex tactics, which include vishing (voice phishing), investment scams (like fake apps promising high returns), and the creation of entirely fake social media pages that appear credible. The aim is to exploit users who are new to digital financial services or who are under pressure to act quickly due to the enticing promises.
Global Cybercrime Linkages: The financial loss and data breaches often involve sophisticated networks, with some organized scams having international linkages, as evidenced by reports of Nepalis being coerced into cybercrime activities abroad. This complexity makes vigilance and public awareness campaigns, like the one from RBB, absolutely vital.
The Golden Rule of Digital Safety: RBB’s final reminder encapsulates the essence of cybersecurity: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” This common-sense approach is the best defense against social engineering scams that attempt to bypass technical security measures by exploiting human psychology. By remaining vigilant, verifying information from official sources, and never sharing confidential banking details, customers can successfully protect their financial security in the digital era.
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