| HOW TO AVOID FRAUD THROUGH TEXT MESSAGES (SMISHING) AND PHONE (VISHING) |
Smishing and vishing are forms of phishing via text message and phone that are designed to steal sensitive information by making a person believe he/she has been contacted by its bank when in reality it is a fraudster impersonating the actual financial institution. The number of cases of these scams is increasing dramatically so it’s key to stay alert and be very cautious when receiving a suspicious communication.
Never provide financial personal information through text message or phone: if your bank needs you to update your information or verify it, they will probably send you a letter or give you a call asking you to go to your bank office. Your financial institution will never ask you to provide personal information through any of these channels.
Always verify: if you receive a message asking you to call a phone number, fill in a form or go to a web site from a link, don’t do it. Instead, call your bank and verify the authenticity of the message. Let them know of the possible fraud attempt so that they can alert other clients and their monitoring service provider.
Ask for details: when receiving a phone call, ask for information that only a true bank employee could know (for example: In which bank office do you work? Where did I perform my last banking transaction? Which was the amount of that transaction?). If the person cannot answer, then you may have been approached by a fraudster.
If you are sent a text message with a link, do not click on it: the message could lead you to a fraudulent site where you may be asked to give your personal information or download a program that could turn out to be a piece of malware.
Give your phone the same level of security you give your computer: just as your PC, your smartphone can be infected with malicious programs that could try to steal your information. There are Anti-virus, anti-malware and safe browsing programs are available for download for free and once installed will start protecting your phone from many online threats.
Stay aware of the new online threats: as a user of new technologies, you have to keep updated on new threats. Cybercriminals are always working on new ways to steal your personal information, so you must be informed and ready to face them. Read technology magazines, watch the news, pay attention to your bank’s educational campaigns, and surf the net to find out what is going on in the electronic fraud prevention field.
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