Filenews 17 February 2023
The Association of Banks is referring to a new wave, because after the previous large outbreak in such fraud attempts recorded just before the Christmas holidays, a new wave has been underway in recent days.
How criminals act
The most common way for criminals to communicate with citizens is via sms text messages. In most cases, a technical problem is mentioned and then citizens are asked to provide the password and password to the account in order to remedy the problem. When the unsuspecting citizen gives this information, then it is very easy to make money transfers to other accounts or use the accounts to transfer black money.
What citizens need to know
What citizens should do when they receive messages asking for personal data is to ignore them, not to cooperate, that is, not to believe that the communication comes from a bank or some other organization (eg Google, Facebook, etc.). It is extremely important that citizens are suspicious and do not give anyone their personal data and account passwords. No organization will request in this way the personal data of users. Only during the process of accessing the account are these details requested and not via sms, email or phone call.
The Association of Cyprus Banks calls on the public to be particularly careful, informed and suspicious. Online scams are now very common, and the best way to protect themselves is to know about the methods of criminals and for citizens not to cooperate with them.
