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According to Audrius Šapola, chairman of the LBA’s Financial Crime Prevention Committee, the tactics of cybercriminals have become increasingly advanced in recent years.
“The scammers send messages to the country’s population prepared in an ever-improving Lithuanian language, imitate the institutions operating in the country, including the police, and perfectly cover current affairs in the country. They also mask danger signs much better, so both residents of the country and business representatives need to be even more careful, “says A. Šapola.
Scams that mention a long-dead relative or a wealthy prince from Africa are no longer the only way to extort your money. Experts point out that scams are particularly common scenarios.
Calls from unusual numbers or using chat apps
Calls are still a very popular form of fraud. Calls are often made using foreign numbers and more and more ingenious reasons to call are being invented: calls to a doctor, a salesperson of services or goods, a police officer, and scams pretending to be real estate brokers are becoming More popular.
As the LBA observes, another innovation has emerged: call chat applications. One seemingly wrong call can cost all of your personal information stored on your phone, including bank or credit card information. Therefore, it is important to know that if you see an unclear phone number on the screen or receive an unclear call in the chat application, it is better not to answer or redial if the call was missed. And if you answered anyway, don’t skimp on the conversation and just hang up right away.
Bank messages with attachments and links
Another threatening phenomenon to protect against is fake SMS messages with a link. In such messages, scammers inform people of an important message allegedly received from the bank or send an invitation to renew the device’s Smart-ID account. Such messages contain an active link which, when clicked, is supposed to direct you to your online bank. Still, this is just another scam that can result in your account being emptied.
The LBA urges you to keep in mind that banks never email customers with active links to their online bank, nor do they send shortened links. It is important to note that banks never ask customers to disclose confidential information through insecure channels, and when opening a website, it is always important to check the address field of the browser and make sure it is the official website of the online bank.
Love letters and unexpectedly discovered relatives
Forms of fraud still exist when attempting to pretend to be distant relatives or to report large inherited assets. This news usually reaches consumers through email. The LBA cautions against engaging in this type of correspondence, as it is probably just a way to mislead you.
Scammers also seek your attention by using various dating sites. Here, an unexpected acquaintance with a foreigner or foreigner very often turns into a financial matter: a supposedly in love couple asks to transfer money for debts, send gifts to pay customs duties or a trip to a loved one. There may be a slightly different scenario – first romantic communication, then – requests to share your intimate photos or videos, then – blackmail, asking to transfer money. Therefore, it is not necessary to share information in a virtual environment that can be compromised.
Manager call or unexpected bill received
As people’s awareness grows, scammers are also using increasingly compelling ways to mislead you. For example, if you are one of the financial professionals of the company, you may receive an unexpected call from the CEO of the company asking you to pay the bill immediately or transfer money because you are solving the problems of the company.
So if you find yourself in a situation like this, ignore the caller’s promises of gratitude, haste, or threats. Always follow the normal payment procedures of the company. Be sure to consult with a competent colleague and supervisor. And keep in mind that you can get fake documents that look quite convincing, links to the bank’s website, persuasive calls that may not only attempt to deceive, but may also collect data about you and your surroundings.
Be attentive
Scam tactics are getting more and more advanced and their methods are getting harder to identify. From pretending to be CEO of a company to showing a romantic interest, today’s online scammers will do anything to get what they want: your details, money, banking credentials, and more.
The LBA notes that the most reliable scam protection is diligence. The most important advice is to take security precautions responsibly when you receive an email, SMS message or a call from an unknown number, and if you have any questions about the content of the information, contact a specialist, your bank or police.
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