Bank customers in Thuringia are currently being massively lured into clicking on dangerous links in emails with supposedly important information or a request to update their user data online.

Warning about fraudulent emails

The Thuringia consumer advice center warns:

Delete these emails and only respond if you are sure that the electronic mail actually comes from your bank. Under no circumstances should those affected open the link in the email they receive.

Thuringia consumer advice center

With emails like this one, supposedly from Sparkasse, fraudsters are currently asking you to click on a link:

“Our customers have a new message in their inbox. We ask our savings bank customers to respond to the information as quickly as possible by August 15, 2022.”

Quote from phishing email

A deadline is often set for responding in order to put the recipient under time pressure and thus push them to act rashly.

“Never click on a link in an email to update user information or activate supposedly new services. It is very likely that emails like those currently being sent supposedly by Sparkasse, DKB or Postbank are phishing emails.”

Andreas Behn, Head of Finance and Insurance Department at the Thuringia Consumer Center.

Fraudsters use such lure emails to try to access account details and other personal data. In some cases, malware is installed on the recipient's computer after clicking on the link.

Banks provide information via mailboxes in online banking

Consumers should definitely ignore the links, move the email to the spam folder and, for their own safety, not disclose any sensitive data.

“A bank will never ask its customers to verify via email. Consumers usually only receive a notification in the form of an email informing them of new messages in their online banking inbox. These can only be viewed there and only after logging in to the bank’s internet portal.”

Andreas Behn, Head of Finance and Insurance Department at the Thuringia Consumer Center.

How to recognize fraudulent emails

Behind the header or the header of an email there is information about the sender that is not visible at first glance. You can check the email address used with just one click. If there is a cryptic address there, this could already be an indication of a phishing email. However, this information does not have to be correct. Even if the sender looks serious, it can be phishing.

There are often spelling errors in the text of the email, which indicate that the senders are dubious. If you are unsure whether an email is genuine or not, you should ask the provider directly - but do not respond directly to the suspicious email.

Report suspected cases to the phishing radar

Anyone who has received a fraudulent email can report it to the consumer advice centers' phishing radar at phishing@verbraucherzentrale.nrw .

Source: Thuringia Consumer Center

Seen? Curious authorities – Facebook data from Germany is the third most requested


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )