Fake VR-Banking security email urges call to bogus "security department" on +49 6912 004096
Mimikama warned on 28 October 2026 about a phishing email that pretends to come from "VR-Banking", the online-banking brand of German cooperative banks (Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken). The message, titled as a security…
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Source: mimikama.org · published
What happened
Mimikama warned on 28 October 2026 about a phishing email that pretends to come from "VR-Banking", the online-banking brand of German cooperative banks (Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken). The message, titled as a security system notice, says a login attempt from an unregistered device was detected on the recipient's business account and that a transfer is currently being processed. It lists a date, a time, an IP address in Poland and an "unknown Android device". Mimikama says the message is fake. The phone number printed in the email, +49 (0) 6912 0040 96, belongs to the scammers, not to any bank. Do not call it.
How the scam works
The email is designed to alarm. A transfer you did not make is said to be under way, and the only way to stop it is to call a "security department" at the number shown, "around the clock". It also gives a reference code (VB-174920) to quote on the call. The pressure to phone, instead of clicking a link, is deliberate: a live caller can talk the victim through steps that email filters never see. In this type of scam the caller usually poses as a bank employee, asks the victim to "verify" their identity with login details, card data or transaction numbers (TANs), or to approve a payment in their banking app, and may suggest moving money to a "safe account". Each of these hands control of the real account to the fraudster. The email also mentions the footer "Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken 2026" to look credible. The banks named are being impersonated and are not accused.
The reference code, the timestamp and the technical-looking connection data are props. A genuine bank does not announce a pending transfer by email and ask you to ring a number in the message.
Source
Mimikama, warning about a fake VR-Banking security email (October 2026).
Red flags
- An unexpected "system notice" about a login attempt and a transfer in progress.
- You are told to call a phone number printed in the email, urgently.
- A reference code and technical details (IP address, device) used to look official.
- The sender and the phone number are not those on your bank's website or card.
- The message threatens that the account will be at risk unless you act now.
If you were targeted
- 1Do not call the number in the email; it belongs to the scammers.
- 2Never give login details, TANs or app approvals to a caller, even one who says they are from your bank.
- 3If worried, contact your bank using the number on its official website or the back of your card.
- 4If you already spoke to them, call your bank immediately to block access and cancel pending payments.
- 5Delete the email and report the phishing attempt to your bank and the police.