Sabric launches festive season safety campaign
CRIMINALS are getting smarter and are coming up with all kinds of ways to steal your hard-earned money.
As it launched its festive season awareness campaign yesterday, the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) urged consumers to be cautious when making any transactions.
Chief executive Kaylani Pillay said robberies, where criminals followed a victim after making a withdrawal at an ATM or from the bank, remained rife.
They noted an increase in the hacking of social media profiles for information.
“Criminals know people receive large sums of money at this time of the year. They know that people receive their stokvel payouts and bonuses. We therefore urge bank clients to avoid carrying large amounts of cash and use alternative ways to transact.”
She said there were a number of modus operandi used by criminals, like the money-bomb scam, phishing and muti scam.
Pillay explained the money bomb scam: “The criminal drops a roll of paper covered in genuine banknotes near the victim after they have transacted at an ATM. The criminal then approaches the victim and suggests going somewhere (a remote location) to share the ‘money’. At the remote location, the victim is robbed of the money he or she has just withdrawn, often violently.
“Criminals are masters at social engineering and know just how to exploit human vulnerabilities to perpetuate crimes, particularly over the festive season when they tend to let their guard down.”
Pillay also warned of giving out personal information, as digital platforms have become a new fishing ground for criminals.
“Clients are compromised because of phishing, vishing or the installation of malware on to a device, enabling the criminal to steal sufficient personal information to access their online banking profile. Sabric urges consumers not to click on links or icons in unsolicited emails or SMSs.”
She said criminals used social media to gain more information about a client hacking into their social media accounts.