John Smith's phone rang, the number was unfamiliar. A solid male voice sounded alarmed against the background of the office noise: “Good afternoon. John Smith? This is the security service of the bank "Scam-Finance". We have recorded that cybercriminals are trying to gain access to your personal account. We urgently need to transfer all the money to a secure account, otherwise it will be stolen!" John Smith immediately hung up. We will tell you on what grounds he figured out the deceivers.
Scammers constantly come up with new ways to lure people of money or confidential data to access their accounts. But whatever the legend, there are five signs by which you can immediately figure out the scammers.
Sign 1. They go out to you by themselves
A stranger calls you, sends you an SMS, an email or a link in a messenger. Whoever he introduces himself as a bank employee, police officer, store employee, your millionaire second cousin from Zimbabwe - be on your guard. Since he became the initiator of contact, he needs something from you.
It will not work quickly to check whether he is who he claims to be. The number that is displayed during an incoming call can be changed, the accounts or sites of famous people or organizations can be faked. So it is worth being vigilant and not taking anyone's word for it.
Sign 2. They talk to you about money
The main task of scammers is to gain access to other people's money. Fraud schemes are almost always associated with finances: you are offered to transfer all the money to a "safe account", to pay for "insurance for a loan" or "very profitable" to invest your savings (in fact, in a pyramid scheme).
“The other day, my grandmother allegedly received a call from the security service of her bank. They said that someone had just tried to steal money from her card. They blocked the operation, but the money must be urgently transferred to some secure account ... "
Be vigilant, do not step on someone else's rake!
Legends can be anything, but we are always talking about money - which you can lose or gain.
Sign 3. You are asked to provide data
If thieves need keys to an apartment, then social engineers are the "key" to the money in your accounts. This can be your card's sensitive information, including the expiration date and three digits on the back. Or logins and passwords to your personal account on the bank's website or mobile application. And almost always - codes from bank notifications.
A real bank employee will never ask for secret card details, PIN codes and passwords.
When the bank notices a questionable payment or transfer from your account, you are contacted to confirm or reject the transaction, and that's all. No confidential data is required for this. If they are asked about them, be sure that they are not calling from the bank and they are definitely trying to deceive you.
Sign 4. You are thrown off balance
Scammers seek to evoke strong emotions in you - to scare or delight. So they confuse and dull the vigilance of a potential victim. For example, they say: “Your online bank has been hacked!” So that you, out of confusion and excitement, fulfill any requests and give out any information, just to save money.
Or, on the contrary, they are overwhelmed by the news of a sudden win in the lottery or they promise to get rich quick. In return, you will have to “just pay a small fee”, and for this you will need to enter your bank card details on the website. Fraudsters create phishing pages with the help of which they steal card data and gain access to bank accounts of gullible users.
“I took part in a contest on the social network Instagram about a month ago, where the prize was any item that I choose, posted on the page. I chose sneakers, wrote to the organizers, after which I was offered to pay for delivery in the amount of $ 10 ... "
Be vigilant, do not step on someone else's rake!
Always maintain a healthy skepticism and take your time following someone else's instructions, no matter how excited you are.
Sign 5. You are under pressure
Scammers are always in a hurry to give you no time to think about the situation. You are forced to do something, conditions are set: "now or it will be late." A situation in which you are not given the right to choose and are forced to act immediately is suspicious.
If you feel psychological discomfort, it is better to stop communicating immediately. After all, the longer you talk to the fraudster, the more he will put pressure on you. For all your questions, the deceivers have prepared answers that only escalate the situation.
“I got into a terrible situation. They called from my bank, called my name and asked to confirm that I was now applying for a loan for $ 100000. I was very surprised because I did not register anything at that moment. The bank employee said that if it is not me, then the fraudsters are trying to take out a loan on my behalf, so urgent action must be taken."
Be vigilant, do not step on someone else's rake!
Never make hasty decisions, especially if they concern your finances. Always take a break to figure out what's going on. Make it a rule to double-check any information in the original source.
Are they calling from the bank with disturbing news? Hang up and dial the bank's hotline yourself to clarify the reality.
Have you sent a strange notice on behalf of the Federal Tax Service (FTS) ? Create a personal account on the FTS website - in it you can check the amount of taxes and pay them immediately.
Received a "letter of happiness" about a government payment? Look for news on this in the business media. Better yet, find the law, decree or regulation itself that introduces payments. Pay attention to the conditions, to whom they are due.
When dealing with a scammer, you may not always notice all five signs of fraud. But in any situation it is worth being vigilant.
Scammers constantly come up with new ways to lure people of money or confidential data to access their accounts. But whatever the legend, there are five signs by which you can immediately figure out the scammers.
Sign 1. They go out to you by themselves
A stranger calls you, sends you an SMS, an email or a link in a messenger. Whoever he introduces himself as a bank employee, police officer, store employee, your millionaire second cousin from Zimbabwe - be on your guard. Since he became the initiator of contact, he needs something from you.
It will not work quickly to check whether he is who he claims to be. The number that is displayed during an incoming call can be changed, the accounts or sites of famous people or organizations can be faked. So it is worth being vigilant and not taking anyone's word for it.
Sign 2. They talk to you about money
The main task of scammers is to gain access to other people's money. Fraud schemes are almost always associated with finances: you are offered to transfer all the money to a "safe account", to pay for "insurance for a loan" or "very profitable" to invest your savings (in fact, in a pyramid scheme).
“The other day, my grandmother allegedly received a call from the security service of her bank. They said that someone had just tried to steal money from her card. They blocked the operation, but the money must be urgently transferred to some secure account ... "
Be vigilant, do not step on someone else's rake!
Legends can be anything, but we are always talking about money - which you can lose or gain.
Sign 3. You are asked to provide data
If thieves need keys to an apartment, then social engineers are the "key" to the money in your accounts. This can be your card's sensitive information, including the expiration date and three digits on the back. Or logins and passwords to your personal account on the bank's website or mobile application. And almost always - codes from bank notifications.
A real bank employee will never ask for secret card details, PIN codes and passwords.
When the bank notices a questionable payment or transfer from your account, you are contacted to confirm or reject the transaction, and that's all. No confidential data is required for this. If they are asked about them, be sure that they are not calling from the bank and they are definitely trying to deceive you.
Sign 4. You are thrown off balance
Scammers seek to evoke strong emotions in you - to scare or delight. So they confuse and dull the vigilance of a potential victim. For example, they say: “Your online bank has been hacked!” So that you, out of confusion and excitement, fulfill any requests and give out any information, just to save money.
Or, on the contrary, they are overwhelmed by the news of a sudden win in the lottery or they promise to get rich quick. In return, you will have to “just pay a small fee”, and for this you will need to enter your bank card details on the website. Fraudsters create phishing pages with the help of which they steal card data and gain access to bank accounts of gullible users.
“I took part in a contest on the social network Instagram about a month ago, where the prize was any item that I choose, posted on the page. I chose sneakers, wrote to the organizers, after which I was offered to pay for delivery in the amount of $ 10 ... "
Be vigilant, do not step on someone else's rake!
Always maintain a healthy skepticism and take your time following someone else's instructions, no matter how excited you are.
Sign 5. You are under pressure
Scammers are always in a hurry to give you no time to think about the situation. You are forced to do something, conditions are set: "now or it will be late." A situation in which you are not given the right to choose and are forced to act immediately is suspicious.
If you feel psychological discomfort, it is better to stop communicating immediately. After all, the longer you talk to the fraudster, the more he will put pressure on you. For all your questions, the deceivers have prepared answers that only escalate the situation.
“I got into a terrible situation. They called from my bank, called my name and asked to confirm that I was now applying for a loan for $ 100000. I was very surprised because I did not register anything at that moment. The bank employee said that if it is not me, then the fraudsters are trying to take out a loan on my behalf, so urgent action must be taken."
Be vigilant, do not step on someone else's rake!
Never make hasty decisions, especially if they concern your finances. Always take a break to figure out what's going on. Make it a rule to double-check any information in the original source.
Are they calling from the bank with disturbing news? Hang up and dial the bank's hotline yourself to clarify the reality.
Have you sent a strange notice on behalf of the Federal Tax Service (FTS) ? Create a personal account on the FTS website - in it you can check the amount of taxes and pay them immediately.
Received a "letter of happiness" about a government payment? Look for news on this in the business media. Better yet, find the law, decree or regulation itself that introduces payments. Pay attention to the conditions, to whom they are due.
When dealing with a scammer, you may not always notice all five signs of fraud. But in any situation it is worth being vigilant.
