Community warned against fraud attacks
RICHARDS Bay SAPS has recorded an increase in fraud cases relating to 'vishing', which is when a fraudster phones their victim posing as a bank official or service provider and uses social engineering to lure them to divulge confidential information.
By manipulating their victim into disclosing confidential information, they lead them to believe they are speaking to the bank or service provider, while the information provided is used to defraud the victim.
Richards Bay SAPS Lieutenant Colonel Debbie Ferreira urged members of the public to be on the lookout for 'phishing' and 'smishing' scams too.
Phishing is when an email requests the recipient to click on a link which then directs them to a 'spoof' website, designed to fool users into thinking it is a legitimate attempt to obtain, verify or update contact details or other sensitive financial information.
The spoof website will look almost exactly like that of a legitimate or a well-known financial institution.
Phishing emails, which are a form of spam emails, are typically sent in large numbers to consumer email accounts.
Smishing, short for 'SMS phishing' is like phishing, except that a user is tricked into downloading malware onto their mobile device, which is then used to fraudulently obtain sensitive information by sending out text messages, asking users to call a number or click on a link.
Phishing, vishing and smishing are all methods of deceitfully obtaining personal information such as passwords, ID numbers and bank card details by tricking clients into believing they are from trusted sources, such as banks or legitimate companies.
SAPS advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of these fraud crimes:
• Do not click on links or icons in unsolicited emails
• Never reply to these emails. Delete them immediately
• Do not blindly believe the content of unsolicited emails
• If you are concerned about what is being alleged in the email, use your own contact details to contact the sender and confirm
• Always type in the URL or domain name for your bank in the address bar of your internet browser if you need to access your bank’s website
• Check that you are on your bank’s genuine website before inputting any personal information
• Make sure you are not on a spoof site, by clicking on the security icon on your browser tool bar to check that the URL begins with https rather than http
• Check for a closed green padlock next to the URL. A green padlock shows that your connection with the website is secure and encrypted
• If you think you might have been compromised, contact your bank immediately
• Create complicated passwords that are not easy to decipher, and change them often
• Banks will never ask you to confirm your confidential information over the phone
• If you receive a phone call requesting confidential or personal information, do not respond, but rather end the call
• If you receive an OTP on your phone without having transacted yourself, it was likely prompted by a fraudster using your personal information. Do not provide the
OTP telephonically to anybody. Contact your bank immediately to alert them to the possibility that your information may have been compromised
• If you lose mobile connectivity under circumstances where you are usually connected, check whether or not you may have been the victim of a SIM swap.