Practical life. During the holidays, these email and phone scams are to be avoided

Fake parcel delivery taxes, classified ad sites, VOD platforms, nonsensical commercial offers: scams are abound this Christmas season. The main thing is to know how to detect it.

Beware of scams during the holidays!

A time of happiness, family reunions, gifts and pretty tables, year-end celebrations are also popular times for cheaters of all kinds.

Also, in this euphoric last days of December, between Christmas and New Year, it is very important to stay alert for scam emails, SMS and other phone calls. During these few days when we usually spend without counting (too many), agrefins does not lack imagination to try to recover your personal information or your bank details (sms code, security code, password etc.).

Therefore, this is an opportunity to provide an overview of the main scams you may encounter. To, knowingly, better thwart them!

Classifieds sites and VOD platforms: beware

Firstly, among the tools most used by fraudsters, online classifieds sites are often the cause of user disappointment. In practice, the fraud generally consists of, for the alleged buyer, asking to pay for the object being offered for sale with a money transfer solution that he or she demonstrates to you.

If accepted, the seller receives an SMS that should allow him to register with this service to receive payment (the fake link usurps the payment solution’s brand). The action demanded of him actually consisted of validating payments made from his account on behalf of the crooks.

Another area to be suspicious of: digital video-on-demand platforms. In this case, the scam comes in the form of a fake email claiming that access to the user’s platform will be blocked for not updating his bank details. The email then contains a link to a fraudster’s site where they simply need to recover the bank details of an overconfident Internet user.

When con artists appear in the name of the fight against fraud…

Even worse, some individuals may be scammed by fake bank advisors, who claim to be able to undo fraudulent transactions on their accounts. After sending an SMS to the victim’s mobile phone, the fraudster will then ask for the code received to be communicated to him and sometimes even ask for validation of the payment directly, which will certainly work in his favor.

In addition, fake bank advisors can also use the pretext of fraud to encourage their victims to transfer money so that their money is “safe”. To do this, agrefin then shows the prey’s bank details which supposedly match the bank account opened in the victim’s name. In fact, it will only be the name of the fraudster, thereby profiting from the bank transfer.

Still on the banking front, also pay attention to messages from so-called security services asking individuals to unlock access to their bank accounts or cards.

The telephone is also a source of fraud

Another favorite area for fraudsters is the phone. Presenting himself as the technician of the intended user’s telephone carrier, a fraudster will then ask the latter to provide him with an RIO (Operator Identity Record) number, which is a 12-digit or letter code primarily used to portability mobile numbers from one carrier to another.

Once in possession of this code, the fraudster requests the transfer of the victim’s cell phone line. A transfer that allows him to subsequently receive a security code to validate payments made from the trapped user’s account.

Also be on the lookout for offers at very attractive prices for much-sought-after items. This is where scammers encourage potential buyers to communicate their bank details through these incentive commercial proposals.

Finally, also be on the lookout for emails and SMS indicating that you have a pending package while the message states that you need to pay taxes to recover your order. Again, scammers use this scheme to get their victim’s bank details. If you receive such a message, the first thing to do is contact the La Poste delivery or service company directly.

Photo credit: DR (illustrative photo)
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