– Banks cannot determine which apps you have installed on your smartphone.

– Banks cannot force customers to install an app.

Anyone who receives an email that claims exactly that should be careful, as it is an attempted scam. In the message, the recipient is asked to install a security app in order to be able to use their account again due to a supposed restriction on their account.

Note: The banks mentioned in it have nothing to do with the email. Names, logos and designs are misused.

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The link to the alleged app currently leads nowhere, but unfortunately we cannot give the all-clear as this form of online fraud has not appeared for the first time. In the past, we have already drawn attention to almost identical emails that also wanted to persuade their recipients to install an app.

No matter what type of software is linked there for download, please do not download and install it under any circumstances! It is malware and an attempt to gain access to other people's bank details. Anyone who installs the application gives the criminals access to their own bank account . Good virus protection helps against fraud.

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How do you recognize this fraud in time?

If you take a closer look, you will notice that this is definitely a fake message. In this case, our cooperation partner Saferinternet recommends:

  • Banks do not send emails to customers asking them to install a security app on a third-party website. The content of the message is therefore a clear indication that the letter comes from criminals.
  • Pay attention not only to the sender's name, but also to their email address after the name. If you compare these with trustworthy emails from your bank, you will find that the sender is different.
  • You will be asked to enter your personal banking/login details on a fake website. However, your bank would never ask you to enter your details anywhere other than your usual online banking access.
  • You will not be addressed personally in the email. If you receive messages from your real bank, this will not happen.
  • You should install the app from an unknown source, i.e. not from the official app store of your phone operating system. Such an approach should be avoided due to increased security risks.

Have you already installed the security app?

In this case, contact your bank immediately and inform the bank employees that you have entered your account details on a third-party site and installed malware on your smartphone. Clarify how to proceed to ensure that you do not suffer any harm. You should also report this to the police.

Delete app!

So that you can use your smartphone safely again, it is absolutely necessary to completely remove the application from your phone. The most effective way to do this is to reset your smartphone to its factory state.

However, keep in mind that this will also delete all data such as photos, videos and contacts. Another emergency solution is to put your phone in “recovery mode”.

 

The best way to find out how this works for your smartphone model is to do an internet search.

Once your phone has been cleaned, you should change all passwords and login details so that fraudsters no longer have access to your online banking. It is also advisable to change any other passwords that you may have entered on your phone when the app was already installed, as these could also have been accessed by the criminals.


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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 )