A request for “bank verification” by ATM may signal online shopping fraud. A man in Taitung County received a call from someone posing as a bank employee and headed to a convenience store ATM. An off-duty policewoman shopping there noticed the situation and stopped him before he lost money.

The man appeared anxious while talking on the phone and repeatedly mentioned “bank verification.” He had recently shopped online, and the caller claimed the transaction required verification through an ATM, a common online shopping scam tactic.

The policewoman asked the caller to provide the bank’s name, his identity, position and contact details. He avoided answering and hung up after learning she was a police officer. The man then realized the call was not a legitimate banking service before operating the ATM.

Such scams often use online purchase records, with callers posing as sellers, customer service agents or bank employees. They create urgency by claiming a payment failed or an account setting, identity or access permission must be verified. In this case, the ATM request and refusal to disclose employment details exposed the false identity.

Banks do not ask customers by phone to use an ATM for account verification. Anyone receiving such a call after shopping online should contact their bank directly. The 165 Anti-Fraud Hotline and 110 can also help verify suspicious calls.