The police are warning of a scam in which fraudsters try to obtain personal data and money from bank customers using a fake SMS.
A 62-year-old man from the Northwest Mecklenburg district received such a fraudulent text message last week. He then opened the link included and entered his access data for online banking on the supposed website of his financial institution. The 62-year-old only realized that he had become a victim of fraud when his financial institution informed him by telephone about a five-figure debit.
The criminal police have started investigating and advise caution:
- Be careful if you receive text messages that appear to be from your bank.
- If you have tapped the link in the message, do not enter your online banking access details on the page that opens!
- Under no circumstances allow the installation of a new app!
Source: Wismar police station
Related to the topic: Smishing: Phishing via fake SMS via smartphone
Phishing via email is now part of our everyday lives. But fraudulent messages also arrive via SMS: smishing.
A message from a well-known company, or even just a tip, usually followed by a link that leads to fake pages or login forms in order to trick victims into entering data.
The term smishing is a combination of phishing and SMS and describes an attack method through which information and data are accessed using misleading SMS. The aim is to lure out sensitive data from the user, such as access data for online banking, or to penetrate the smartphone using malware/malicious software.
Smishing – Phishing SMS
You always have your smartphone with you, so this is an interesting aspect for cybercriminals to target. According to IT security experts at PSW GROUP, smishing is increasing rapidly.
PSW managing director Patrycja Tulinska explains: “When cybercriminals phish, they send fraudulent emails and seduce the receiving victims into clicking on links or opening attachments. Cybercriminals can use manipulated websites to steal login data, message content or other information. Smishing simply uses text messages instead of emails.”
Smishing poses the same dangers as phishing by email: the criminals want to obtain access data such as logins or bank and credit card details or spread malware.
The most common three variants of smishing
Malicious software: A link is included in the message. When you click on this, software is loaded onto the device in the background. This allows attackers to gain access to the smartphone.
Fake websites: A link in the SMS directs victims to a fake website that looks like the original.
If you enter your access data or other sensitive information such as account or credit card details here, these will be passed on to the cybercriminals. The version that reports alleged security problems, which require immediate submission of personal data to resolve, is very popular here.
Spear smishing: This variant is particularly sneaky. Here the criminals first get an impression by looking at the victims' Internet profiles (e.g. social media) and then deliver perfectly matching smishing. In this way, criminals can incorporate information from the victim and thus gain trustworthiness. All too often, data is transmitted for these reasons.
Specifying false senders: With this method, the senders pretend to be employees of well-known companies. You are often asked to call customer support. However, such phone calls only serve to obtain information from the victims.
You can check whether your email address and phone number have already been intercepted on the website haveibeenpwned.com
How do you protect yourself against smishing?
Antivirus software for smartphones is advisable. Although it cannot be guaranteed that it will detect all malicious software, the risk of receiving such malware on your cell phone is correspondingly lower.
You should keep the following points in mind:
- Never provide personal or sensitive information such as credit card or online banking information on your smartphone.
Neither banks, retailers or other reputable institutions request account information via text messages. - Urgent security warnings or receiving offers or deals that need to be redeemed immediately indicate a dubious SMS.
- Do not click on links or phone numbers in SMS. If you are unsure whether this actually came from the specified sender, you can ask directly here. However, you should not use the contact details from the SMS, but rather look for them elsewhere (e.g. on the official website).
- A critical check of the sender number can provide information as to whether it comes from the specified sender. Conspicuous numbers such as “50110” may come from an email-to-SMS service, which are often used by fraudsters.
- Unusual spelling or grammar is always an indication that the message does not come from a reputable sender. All messages from companies are proofread and only then sent. Criminals like to use online translation tools, where the translations are often worded somewhat clumsily.
Matching: subscription trap! With SMS for alleged package tracking
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