Cybercriminals are increasingly disguising their number as official bank numbers. We figure out how not to fall for the tricks of scammers.
First, check if this is a bank employee. Hang up, call the official bank number and check if everything is in order with your account and card.
Why is it worth hanging up and dialing the official bank number yourself?
Even if a familiar bank number is displayed on your phone, in no case make a call back to it. Dial the bank hotline number manually. The hotline phone number can be found on the back of a bank card or on the bank's official website.
Such vigilance can seem paranoid. But lately, cybercriminals have been increasingly faking official bank phone numbers to trick their customers.
Fraudsters use special software that helps to hide the real number of the caller, while the official number of the bank is displayed on the person's phone. Usually, the offender refers to the interlocutor by name and patronymic, can give the surname and even the number and expiration date of the card. Scammers usually obtain this information in advance from open sources, such as social networks, and through phishing.
Even if the information sounds very believable, it is better to play it safe and call the bank yourself in order to communicate accurately with its employee, and not with the criminal.
Most often, cheaters call late in the evening, at night or in the early morning on weekends, when a person is asleep and cannot find his bearings quickly. The offender introduces himself as a bank employee and reports a suspicious transaction that requires immediate action from the client. Fraudsters are familiar with psychology: they speak quickly and confidently, use professional terms, and often include sounds in the background that imitate the work of a busy call center. All this helps them to get into the credibility of the bank's client and make him lose his vigilance.
At the same time, they rush and intimidate the client, put pressure on his emotions and assure that something irreparable will happen.
For example, fraudsters say that a suspicious payment for a large amount is being made on the card and in order to stop it, you urgently need to provide the card details, PIN code or one-time password from an SMS message. If a person hesitates or refuses to name them, he is threatened that the money from his card will go to fraudsters right now.
If the criminals manage to find out the information they need, they gain access to the account and withdraw all the money from it.
How to protect your money from scammers?
If the client himself informs the criminals of secret information that cannot be disclosed, it will not be possible to return the money through the bank. Therefore, it is worth adhering to the basic security rules so as not to succumb to the tricks of scammers and not to lose money:
First, check if this is a bank employee. Hang up, call the official bank number and check if everything is in order with your account and card.
Why is it worth hanging up and dialing the official bank number yourself?
Even if a familiar bank number is displayed on your phone, in no case make a call back to it. Dial the bank hotline number manually. The hotline phone number can be found on the back of a bank card or on the bank's official website.
Such vigilance can seem paranoid. But lately, cybercriminals have been increasingly faking official bank phone numbers to trick their customers.
Fraudsters use special software that helps to hide the real number of the caller, while the official number of the bank is displayed on the person's phone. Usually, the offender refers to the interlocutor by name and patronymic, can give the surname and even the number and expiration date of the card. Scammers usually obtain this information in advance from open sources, such as social networks, and through phishing.
Even if the information sounds very believable, it is better to play it safe and call the bank yourself in order to communicate accurately with its employee, and not with the criminal.
Most often, cheaters call late in the evening, at night or in the early morning on weekends, when a person is asleep and cannot find his bearings quickly. The offender introduces himself as a bank employee and reports a suspicious transaction that requires immediate action from the client. Fraudsters are familiar with psychology: they speak quickly and confidently, use professional terms, and often include sounds in the background that imitate the work of a busy call center. All this helps them to get into the credibility of the bank's client and make him lose his vigilance.
At the same time, they rush and intimidate the client, put pressure on his emotions and assure that something irreparable will happen.
For example, fraudsters say that a suspicious payment for a large amount is being made on the card and in order to stop it, you urgently need to provide the card details, PIN code or one-time password from an SMS message. If a person hesitates or refuses to name them, he is threatened that the money from his card will go to fraudsters right now.
If the criminals manage to find out the information they need, they gain access to the account and withdraw all the money from it.
How to protect your money from scammers?
If the client himself informs the criminals of secret information that cannot be disclosed, it will not be possible to return the money through the bank. Therefore, it is worth adhering to the basic security rules so as not to succumb to the tricks of scammers and not to lose money:
- Always dial only the official bank number. It is indicated on the back of the card and on the official website of the bank.
- Do not call back or send SMS to unfamiliar numbers, do not rush to follow the links from the messages "from the bank". In any incomprehensible situation, call the bank at the official number and check the information with the operator.
- If you receive a call from a bank, financial institution or government agency, specify the name and position of the caller and say that you will call him back yourself. Hang up and call the official phone number of the organization or the bank's hotline. The number must be dialed manually.
- Don't panic and rush. If the bank detects a suspicious transaction, it will immediately suspend it for up to two days. During this time, you can either confirm this operation to the bank, or cancel it. This decision must be made within 48 hours - this is enough time to think over everything and call the bank without haste. If you don’t do anything, then after two days the bank will automatically remove the blocking and the operation will go through.
- Do not under any pretext tell anyone your personal data, card details and secret information: CVC / CVV-code on the back of the card, codes from SMS and PIN-codes. You can only call the code word if you call the bank's hotline yourself.
