by Fraudsters try to lure savings bank customers into a trap.Image: imago images / Michael Gstettenbauer
Digital
Phishing attempts are common in the digital age. Scammers sometimes use perfidious tricks to deceive affected people. They often want to gain access to sensitive data – such as payment data – or directly to other people’s money.
Consumers need to be careful with new scams. The consumer advisory center regularly alerts you to new scams and current phishing emails that are in circulation. In the middle of the week she now reports: Caixa Econômica customers should be careful at this time. A fraudulent email is circulating in the name of the bank.
Fraudsters claim card payments in four-digit ranges
The email addressed to savings bank customers was “particularly visible”, writes the consumer advice center on its phishing radar. In the email, the fraudsters entice you with a supposed card payment. Worth 2,425 eurosas reported by the consumer advice center.
According to the email, the recipients themselves made the payment. The fraudulent email from Caixa Econômica now contains confirmation of the supposed payment. More information is listed below: date, dealer name and reference number.
Criminals pretend to make an online purchase using card payment.Image: imago images/Eibner
Criminals count on the moment of shock for the email recipient
In the fraudulent email there is a button that says “Cancel unauthorized transaction”. Supposedly to reverse the payment.
Criminals therefore rely on surprising email recipients. Fraudsters aim to get them to act quickly. They expect their victims to reveal their payment details via the button and the page that opens.
Consumer advice center exposes fraud attempt: “doubtful”
The consumer advice center exposes the email sent in the name of the savings bank as a phishing attempt by fraudsters. According to experts, even a spelling error in the subject indicates a “dubious reason”. In the subject “Sparkasse Notification: Payment of €2,425 made” the “e” is missing in the word “Sparkasse”. They also describe the sender’s email address as “dubious.”
The consumer advice center advises against “clicking on direct links in emails that purport to be in the name of your bank”. Like all dubious emails, this email also belongs to the spam folder without being responded to.
Watson is now on WhatsApp
On your phishing radar, the consumer advisory center provides regular information – sometimes even every day – about new fraud attempts that are circulating. This happens regularly where they can access sensitive data online such as payment details. As in this case, bank customers are often targets of fraud.
Anyone using the online payment service Paypal is often targeted by phishing scammers. Users of streaming providers like Netflix, telecommunications providers or parcel service providers like DHL are also regularly affected.
Cybercrime never sleeps. It is without a doubt one of the biggest threats in the digital world. Hacking and other forms of digital threats pose enormous challenges for companies and authorities. Phishing emails are a proven tool for fraudsters to gain access to victims’ sensitive data or money. According to Google, dangerous leaks start with a phishing email in nine out of ten cases.
