Scammers are posing as Nissan and government regulators in fake recall texts that try to collect ID and bank card details from car owners in China.
Scammers are texting Nissan owners in China with fake recall notices, and the goal is to get at their bank details. Nissan (China) Investment issued a fraud alert on Nov. 7 after fraudsters began posing as the company and as government regulators.
The texts include forged documents, unofficial links and QR codes. Anyone who clicks or scans is asked to enter a personal ID number, bank card details and vehicle information. Nissan China said neither the texts nor the documents are real recall notices.
A recall is a safety fix a carmaker announces when a defect is found. Nissan China said a genuine recall will never ask owners to transfer money, make payments, or hand over bank card numbers or text message verification codes. A verification code is the short number a bank or app sends to confirm it is really you. Anyone who asks for it is almost certainly trying to get into your account.
Owners who have not received a recall text do not need to do anything. The warning matters for those who get an unexpected message about their vehicle.
The alert box above covers the steps. In short, check any recall through the channels Nissan named before you touch a link or a QR code.
Nissan China did not say how many owners received the texts or whether anyone has lost money. It said it reserves the right to take legal action against the scammers. It also asked owners to report suspicious messages directly to the automaker. The alert does not say whether similar texts have reached owners outside China.
A recall text that asks for money, bank card numbers or verification codes is a scam, so verify it with a Nissan dealer first.
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