Anna:
I always considered myself a cautious person, but then I got caught like a fool. One of my mothers, my good friend, wrote to the school parent group: “A classmate of my youngest son got into an accident, we urgently need help.” And I reposted the screen from the social network with a heartbreaking story and card number. My heart skipped a beat - I know this boy personally, such a cool kid. How not to help? Just in case, I asked my friend again, but surely these are not scammers? No, he says, I contacted the boy's mother. Well, I transferred the money.
And almost immediately, a friend writes to the chat: “Sorry, friends! It turns out that the boy’s mother’s account was hacked and a post about help was posted on her behalf. ” A friend contacted her in the direct, communicated with the same hacked account. It was not possible to get through, apparently, everyone began to cut off the phone to poor mother.
Of course, I could not get the money back. But she complained to her bank, gave them the number of the scammers' card. And the lost amount - well, I will consider it as payment for a lesson in financial literacy. It is always better to ask again ten times, call back in person and make sure that you are not bred by cheaters.
Financial Culture Expert:
The scammers not only published a fake story on social networks, but hacked the woman's account and placed an ad on her behalf, attaching a photo of her son. The count was on the gullibility of friends and acquaintances who would rush to help her.
It will not be possible to return the money that has already gone to the scammers' card. The bank is not obliged to return transfers that the person himself sent to the cybercriminals. In this case, it remains only to contact the police.
Not all such ads on the Internet are scams. Sometimes people really turn to their followers on social networks for help, because they simply do not see another way out of the situation. But before transferring money, it is important to make sure that the information is accurate:
I always considered myself a cautious person, but then I got caught like a fool. One of my mothers, my good friend, wrote to the school parent group: “A classmate of my youngest son got into an accident, we urgently need help.” And I reposted the screen from the social network with a heartbreaking story and card number. My heart skipped a beat - I know this boy personally, such a cool kid. How not to help? Just in case, I asked my friend again, but surely these are not scammers? No, he says, I contacted the boy's mother. Well, I transferred the money.
And almost immediately, a friend writes to the chat: “Sorry, friends! It turns out that the boy’s mother’s account was hacked and a post about help was posted on her behalf. ” A friend contacted her in the direct, communicated with the same hacked account. It was not possible to get through, apparently, everyone began to cut off the phone to poor mother.
Of course, I could not get the money back. But she complained to her bank, gave them the number of the scammers' card. And the lost amount - well, I will consider it as payment for a lesson in financial literacy. It is always better to ask again ten times, call back in person and make sure that you are not bred by cheaters.
Financial Culture Expert:
The scammers not only published a fake story on social networks, but hacked the woman's account and placed an ad on her behalf, attaching a photo of her son. The count was on the gullibility of friends and acquaintances who would rush to help her.
It will not be possible to return the money that has already gone to the scammers' card. The bank is not obliged to return transfers that the person himself sent to the cybercriminals. In this case, it remains only to contact the police.
Not all such ads on the Internet are scams. Sometimes people really turn to their followers on social networks for help, because they simply do not see another way out of the situation. But before transferring money, it is important to make sure that the information is accurate:
- If someone you know has posted an ad, be sure to call this person and ask if you really need help. Unable to contact, but you think that help is needed urgently - try making a transfer to a friend's phone number. Just take the number not from the post on the Internet, but from the list of your contacts.
In cases where a friend repost someone else's message, make sure that he personally spoke with the victim or his relatives and checked the account or card number indicated in the ad. - If you just decide to donate money to charity, choose funds that are trustworthy. You can focus, for example, on the lists of the largest funds, which are published by rating agencies. They include only real charitable organizations that have been helping people for several years.
Many foundations accept donations online. But it is important to make sure that you enter your bank card details on a secure site. Fraudsters can fake the fund's page as well. You can learn how to recognize a fake site from the text "Phishing: What It Is and How to Protect Against It". - Get a separate debit card specifically for transfers and online purchases. Do not keep a lot of money on it - it is better to replenish it every time exactly for the amount that you are going to spend. Then, even if scammers gain access to your account, you will not lose all your savings.
