El Bank of Spain It seeks to enable users to avoid mobile scams through advice and recommendations for the safe use of technology. In recent times there has been a strong growth in cyber scams and computer crimes. That is why both the Civil Guard and the Bank of Spain are taking promotion and awareness measures about technological risks.
Avoiding scams with the advice of the Bank of Spain means knowing the mechanisms that apps like WhatsApp use to steal information. There are some tips to avoid falling into the trap, but most of the procedures involve paying attention to the type of message we receive and possible clues that reveal a scam.
The Bank of Spain aims to prevent scams on its clients
The vast majority of scammers over the Internet They seek to collect bank details and then withdraw money through deception. The warning messages from the Bank of Spain to avoid scams and from the Civil Guard promote a state of alert and knowledge of mechanisms so that the population does not fall so easily into deception.
Every day, cybercriminals seek to take advantage of any type of opportunity to steal money or sensitive personal data. The most used application in recent months has been WhatsApp, the instant messaging platform. They usually use the mechanism of sending deceptive messages, impersonating the identity of close relatives or even banking entities. The increase has caused this type of scam to receive its own name: whatsapping.
What is WhatsApp?
According to warnings published by the Bank of Spain To avoid scams, “The cybercriminal uses social engineering techniques to gain your trust, manipulate you and obtain bank details. It can happen to anyone". This last statement is very true. Even people with extensive knowledge can fall into an attack because they are unprepared. In recent times, we have witnessed a notable evolution in infection and data theft procedures. All you have to do is answer a phone call or open a chat for certain malicious apps to steal control of your account or clone it.
WhatsApp is the most common application through which these infections spread. This is due to the high popularity of the application and the scope of its communication methods. Hackers develop different strategies to steal personal and sensitive information from users, and WhatsApp is installed on millions of mobile phones. That's why it ends up being the most chosen app for scams.
The most common forms of digital scam
- Impersonation: This mechanism usually follows a pattern of urgency and complication. The hacker poses as a relative or close friend who needs money immediately. The promise is the return within a few hours. These types of messages usually come from unknown numbers and claim a recent change in the mobile phone.
- Impersonate the banking entity: The cybercriminal impersonates the bank, and requests passwords and identification numbers. They claim that they detected suspicious or fraudulent actions, but in reality it is a deception to provide the security token or temporary authentication codes. If we share them, we will see that they change our password and empty our account quickly.
- Pretend to be in charge of WhatsApp: Another very common scam consists of pretending to be in charge of the WhatsApp app. Here they ask for the authentication code to clone the account and try to scam other friends or relatives.
- Impersonate companies or people in groups to steal validation codes: With this practice they seek to take over your WhatsApp account. Once they have your validation code, they can clone your account and communicate with friends and family from your same number.
How to avoid falling into virtual scams?
For avoid falling into virtual scams, the Bank of Spain and other financial entities regularly share different advice. Among the most prominent and efficient we find:
- Stay informed about the latest strategies and practices for virtual scams.
- Do not click on links in emails or messages that are suspicious. Whenever there is a doubt, point to the website
- official or contact the banking entity.
- Keep banking apps updated.
- Choose and update a reliable antivirus and antimalware.
- Check that shopping websites are secure before sharing card details or making payments.
- Keep the operating system updated.
- Use strong passwords and use the two-step identification mechanism whenever possible.
Taking into account these tips, the possibilities of being victim of a scam reduced. It is a useful and effective proposal to protect your security and prevent hackers and cybercriminals from taking over your data, your phone or even your bank accounts. The main key is to always be attentive so as not to make mistakes.