Think you know all the tricks? Your access data, passwords and other sensitive information are as safe as in Abraham's bosom? That could be a fallacy.
From the strict bank employee who allegedly wants to block the account to the supposed family member in distress: Cyber criminals slip into all possible and impossible roles in order to tell lies to their victims and steal sensitive data.
Passwords for online banking or payment services are just as popular as social media access data or telephone numbers. The magazine "Finanztest" reports (edition 9/2022) that criminals are no longer just using emails to lure users to the fake pages where the data is to be entered and fished out. Common phishing methods also included:
Appeal on platforms or in messengers: It can happen that scammers who - particularly perfidiously - pretend to be family members ask for help on social media sites, classifieds portals or in chats.
Smishing: A neologism of SMS and phishing. Here SMS are used as bait to induce recipients to release data. Popular and dangerous: SMS announcements and error messages from packages that don't even exist.
Spear phishing: This is what targeted data fishing attacks on a specific group of people are called, such as employees of a company.
Whaling: This is what phishing attacks on particularly "big fish" are called, for example particularly wealthy victims.
Vishing: This technical term is made up of voice and phishing and means attempts at manipulation and fraud by telephone call.
According to the information, two good protective measures against phishing are never to be put under pressure to act and to follow up by telephone with the person or institution who claims to want something.
If the child has already fallen into the well, accounts that may have been affected should be blocked and stolen passwords quickly changed. It is also important to secure evidence and file criminal charges. If money has been stolen, you report the damage to the bank and check whether your household contents insurance covers phishing attacks.
