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Rabat – Bank Al‑Maghrib, Morocco’s central bank, has issued a warning to the public about electronic fraud attempts targeting users via text messages and phone calls.
The bank urged citizens to never share secret verification codes, banking passwords, card details, or other sensitive information through calls, texts, or emails.
“Stay alert! Never disclose the secret verification code you receive via SMS, nor your payment information,” the central bank said in a text message sent to citizens, which many received on their phones this morning.
“Any message or call asking for this information is fraudulent,” Bank Al-Maghrib’s message added.
The warning comes at a moment when digital payment and banking services are expanding rapidly in Morocco, meaning more people are interacting with online and mobile banking. This increases the potential exposure to fraud.
A recent study by Visa found that 44 % of Moroccans admitted they had already fallen victim to scams involving payments or digital transactions.
At the same time, institutions monitoring digital content and fraud are seeing a “wave” of attempts aimed at everyday citizens, including vulnerable groups, using SMS, phishing links, and fake platforms. For example, the Digital Content Observatory recently warned of growing phone‐ and message‑based fraud.
The central bank has also recently flagged several cases of impersonation or fraudulent platforms using its identity. For example, the bank in March 2025 issued a communique saying it had detected media content impersonating it and promoting a fake investment platform.
In addition, multiple banks in Morocco issued alerts in recent months about phishing via SMS, fake surveys, or suspicious calls.
Yet fraudsters are stepping up their game, with many now employing techniques such as fake websites that mimic banking platforms, phishing text messages impersonating institutions, and phone calls that appear legitimate but aim to extract verification codes or banking access.
