Bank transactions, online purchases, travel reservations, flights... It is increasingly common to carry out all kinds of operations with your mobile from the sofa. And in each of them a trace of our personal data remains.
Cyber criminals know this. They see phones as a gateway to our personal information. A gold mine in terms of data, so scammers do not stop creating new tools and techniques in their attacks.
Scams over the Internet or electronic media are carried out through fraudulent websites, emails or social networks, and do not require great computer skills or programming knowledge. Second-hand platforms do not escape. In recent times it has become very popular to sell second-hand items online, such as Vinted, Wallapop, MilAnuncios and others.
The most repeated modus operandi is to create a false profile and pretend to be interested in a product. Once contacted with the seller, he proposes to continue the management outside the application, with the excuse of saving the expenses associated with the use of the platform. The fraud is consummated when the seller clicks on the link that he has received to a supposed bank, where they ask for his card number to make the deposit. In reality, from this moment on the seller is at the mercy of the scammer, who steals his bank details and uses them to empty his account.
Anyone can be a victim, so you have to be attentive and take a series of precautions when browsing or performing any type of operation on the networks, in order to protect yourself from potential fraud.
Luis Corrons, a digital security technician at Avast, a digital security and privacy company, indicates that it is important to verify the veracity of the business or company from which the information comes in order to proceed with making payments by bank transfers. “Before buying anything, you should research the website; never download attachments or click on links from unknown contacts; personal information should not be shared and it is advisable to use tools that guarantee cybersecurity such as two-factor authentication and strong passwords, as well as antivirus software”, says Corrons.
Scammers also use these types of sites as a lure for smishing scams, text message scams, and taking advantage of large numbers of users. There are details to take into account to detect possible scams. One is to know the sender of the message or call. "Normally fraudulent SMS ask us to act urgently, either due to an alleged security problem, or due to an alleged gift/offer that we must claim as soon as possible, a postal or messaging package, an alleged fine or return by the Tax Agency … And they are all accompanied by a link that we must click on”, he explains.
The type of support is not a guarantee of security either. Corrons assures that “if we talk about fraud, there is no difference. In general, the priority objective of cybercriminals is Android, as it is the operating system with the most users and also gives the option of installing applications from outside the official store”.
Once the scam is complete, "the stolen money is very difficult to recover, since it involves cybercriminal networks that operate from anywhere in the world and the thefts are transferred to bank accounts outside our borders," says Andrés Soriano, head of ensure the cybersecurity of the Universae platform, which is why banks carry out a multitude of awareness campaigns among their customers, with the intention of training them in good cybersecurity practices and thus reducing fraud.
The first link, and the weakest in the chain, is the citizen, so caution and common sense are essential to avoid being deceived.
