What is Strong Customer Authentication?
Alpha Bank has applied alternative authentication methods for transactions that are carried out via e-Banking, in line with the European Anti-Fraud Directive (PSD2/Strong Customer Authentication-SCA), to further enhance your safety.
Transactions that require strong customer authentication can be completed via Push Notifications or QR Codes from the myAlpha Mobile application. Alternatively, you may choose to receive myAlpha Code via Viber or SMS on the mobile phone number that appears on your e-Banking profile.
Which transactions require the use of Strong Customer Authentication?
The following transactions require the use of strong customer authentication:
- login to e-Banking
- fund transfers to Alpha Bank accounts which are not registered in your profile
- remittances to other domestic or foreign banks
- standing orders for fixed-amount fund transfers at regular intervals to Alpha Bank accounts of third parties
- payments to cards and consumer loans of third parties, issued by Alpha Bank or other domestic banks
- payments to betting and financial services companies
- management of your subscriptions' personal info
- οnline application for issuing debit and prepaid cards
- increasing the daily limit for fund transfers’ to third party accounts
- receiving the Alpha SecureWeb Activation Number for your cards
- bonus points transfer to third parties.
How can I approve a transaction that requires Strong Customer Authentication?
Transactions that require strong customer authentication can be completed via Push Notifications or QR Codes from the myAlpha Mobile application. Alternatively, you may choose to receive myAlpha Code via Viber or SMS to the mobile phone number that appears on your e-Banking profile.
The security of your transactions depends on you as well
The use of extra authentication in combination with the Username and Password of your e-Banking subscription, contributes to your stronger authentication and protection.
The approval of your transactions via Push Notifications, requires the use of the 4-digit PIN or your biometric features (Fingerprint or FaceID).
Respectively, the mobile phone on which you receive myAlpha Code via Viber or SMS cannot be used by third parties, unless they know your "Username" and "Password". Moreover, the myAlpha Code that is generated each time, is unique, is created based on the data of the transaction that you have chosen to carry out and is used exclusively for that specific transaction.
Το further protect you from the threat of online fraud, we apply an additional warning mechanism, requiring a 2nd authentication through Push Notification, myAlpha Code or email, to complete your transaction.
This mechanism is activated for certain transactions, such as when you increase your daily transfer limit, or when we detect unusual activity on myAlpha Web or myAlpha Mobile.
See here practical tips and instructions while carrying out your electronic transactions with Alpha Bank.