Phishing - don’t be duped to take the bait
Fraud cases are still a very big concern in the George policing area. According to Captain Nolonwabu Tshengu, George police communications officer, there has been an increase in fraud-related incidents in the business sector the past few months.
The South African
Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) urges bank customers to institute good habits to avoid becoming victims of Phishing, Vishing and SMishing scams, which are methods of deceitfully obtaining personal information such as passwords, ID numbers and bank card details by tricking clients into believing that they are from trusted sources.
Phishing is when an e-mail requests the user to click on a link in the e-mail which then directs them to a fake website. This website will look almost exactly like that of a legitimate or well-known financial institution in an attempt to obtain, verify or update contact details or other sensitive financial information.
Vishing is when a fraudster phones their victim posing as a bank official or service provider and uses social engineering tactics to manipulate them into disclosing confidential information.
SMishing (SMS phishing) is where 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.