Fraud and greed are the evil twins
Phishing and Fraud Scams are methods of deceitfully obtaining personal information
Cases of fraud and scams are flowing in at the Witbank Police Station and in the past week, numerous cases as such were reported at the station.
In one of the cases which were opened the victim alleged that she was at home when she started to get messages on her phone of bank transactions.
“I had my bank card with me and did not believe what I was seeing. I immediately phoned my bank to freeze my account but unfortunately, they got away with the little bit of cash that was still in my account,” said the victim.
In another incident, a so-called supplier offered his service to a well-known business just to scam them of an undisclosed amount of cash.
It is believed that the suspect gave the business a private bank account number where the money for the supplies had to be transferred.
Upon transferring the money, the victim constantly asked the ‘supplier’ when she will receive the products, but quickly found out that she was defrauded.
“Phishing and Fraud Scams are methods of deceitfully obtaining personal information such as passwords, identity numbers and credit card details by calling, sending emails or cell phone messages that look like they come from trusted sources, such as banks or legitimate companies. Typically, these emails or cell phone messages request that users click on a link in the email, which will direct users to a spoofed website – a site designed to fool users into thinking that it is legitimate – to obtain, verify or update contact details or other sensitive financial information. These emails and messages also contain a telephone number and contact person whom you should call, as you are promised you could win large sums of money,” Witbank SAPS spokesperson, Capt Eddie Hall explained how fraud and scams work.
He gave the WITBANK NEWS some tips to share with the readers on how to prevent such crimes.
What you should do to prevent falling victim to scams and fraud:
Never respond to emails or cell phone messages appearing to be from your bank, which requests your details. Remember that no bank will ever ask you to confirm or update your account details by email.
Never provide your online ID, password or PIN to anyone and never write them down or share them.
Do not save your Internet banking password on your desktop.
Do not leave your computer unattended after you have entered your Internet banking password.
Always log off or sign off at the end of a session.
Avoid doing Internet banking in public areas such as Internet cafés, or on any computer that can be accessed by people you do not know.
Change your PIN and passwords frequently.
Put sensible transaction limits on your accounts.
Only provide your credit card details to reputable companies.
If it looks too good to be true, it usually is.
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