Alert: This Fake Banking App is Stealing Bank Card Info

Update: The malicious URL has now been removed.

A new online scam is targeting Pakistani banking customers through ads on Facebook, promoting a fake version of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) app. The fraudulent app, falsely advertised as the “updated 2025 version” of HBL’s official mobile banking application, is designed to steal your banking card info.

Here is what the fake ad looked like.

While the promoted Facebook ad has now been taken down, the malicious sign-up link remains active and continues to pose a risk. The fake website’s URL is completely different from the legitimate HBL website, which uses the simple and straightforward URL “https://www.hbl.com/”.

The phishing site mimics HBL’s branding and even displays images of HBL debit and credit cards to appear authentic. Once on the site, victims are told to enter their banking card info, including:

• Card number
• CVV (security code)
• Expiry date
• Cardholder name
• Mobile number

Here is what the fake website looks like.

After submitting card details, users are told that “the bank will contact them within 1 to 2 hours for OTP verification,” as shown in the screenshot above.

Commenting on the fake app, Ali Habib, Spokesperson HBL, said,

This is a fake app. We continuously educate our clients to only download the HBL Mobile app from trusted sources such as Google Play or the Apple App Store. At HBL, our clients’ data security remains our primary concern.”

What You Should Do

• Avoid downloading apps through links on social media ads or unknown websites.
• Only trust official sources:
  • HBL’s official website: https://www.hbl.com/
  • HBL’s verified app on Google Play Store: HBL Mobile App
• Report suspicious ads or websites to HBL and the relevant authorities, such as PTA.
• Never share sensitive card details on websites that don’t match the official HBL domain.

HBL has not released any separate “2025 version” of its mobile app. Customers are urged to stay vigilant and verify all banking communications through official HBL channels.