We often read about fraudulent messages that end up on our cell phones via WhatsApp or SMS. You often hear about successful fraud attempts of this kind. Many then realize: “That wouldn’t have happened to me.” But beware! You may think you're safe, but read on and be proven wrong.
The hidden truth behind “Hello mom, this is my new number”
Imagine your phone vibrates. It's a new message. A quick glance and you see the sentence many of us have read before: “Hello mom, this is my new number.” – your first instinct is to respond, right?
The trick with the familiar tone – you recognize the spelling mistakes, the strange special character in the word “mom”. But it's not just the obvious things that should warn us. However, some of these scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and using psychological tricks to gain our trust.
Parcel Messages: A fake service notice
Almost all of us have expected a package and know how exciting that can be. Scammers take advantage of this fact and send messages pretending from large companies such as UPS or DHL . A quick click on a link and your credit card details could be in the wrong hands.
The wrong bank app: A dangerous doppelganger
It seems so official – a message from your bank . – A warning that you need to renew or update something. But these messages are often just well-disguised traps designed to steal your most valuable information.
The inconspicuous grandchild trick
These messages are particularly insidious. They claim to be from a beloved family member and aim to hit emotional pressure points. The scammer is just waiting for you to respond to the message before they can start their scam.
Protect yourself: This is how you recognize the scammers
There are some clear signs you can use to tell if you're dealing with a scammer. The lack of umlauts, strange links, and the request to reveal personal information are just a few of them. It is important to always be on guard and take any suspicions seriously.
Conclusion: Vigilance is key
The Internet is full of possibilities, but also full of dangers. Scammers use the most familiar communication channels to deceive us. Although it sounds scary, there are ways to protect yourself. The most important thing is to stay informed, be suspicious of unknown news and act immediately if you suspect something. Stay alert, stay safe.
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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 )