article by:
Dr. Chris de Kock
Analyst: crime, violence and crowd behaviour.
and
Mr. Quintin de Boer
Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) at Foregenix PCI (Payment Card Industry).
Never provide the pin numbers and security codes of your credit and bank cards to anybody over the phone/cell phone or in person. Even if that person identifies themselves as an employee of the bank you don’t provide it to her/him. It now became common that somebody will phone you and introduce him/herself as an employee of your bank’s fraud section. The story will always be that somebody is busy transferring money out of your account and that the bank will prevent this if you provide the pin and security numbers. If you refuse, the person will provide you with your personal information to convince you that she/he is indeed an employer of the bank. Don’t provide any information. If you don’t remember the name of the person that you are talking to, ask him/her to provide you with the name and surname as well as the office where she/he is based. Tell the person that you will phone the fraud line of your bank. This number is usually on the back of your credit/bank card. By now, usually the caller would drop the call even before providing the name or the caller will say “But this is the fraud line!” Drop the call and phone the fraud line number at the back of your card.
The latest variation of this modus operandi is where the so-called bank official phoning you ask you if you are aware that there were various transactions with your card at a casino/gambling-website or bar. They will even provide you with the card number. They want to refund you and assists you to get a new card and pin. To refund you they need the pin and safety code which you will change in any case the moment you see the refunds going through. Your answer will be the same: “Give me your name and surname so that I can phone the bank’s fraud line”. The banks and other financial institutions will never request pin and security information via phone, WhatsApp or computer. When this occur and you provide information it can easily end up with you are losing money you will never get back.
Another modus operandi that criminals use to get hold of your pin and even your bank or credit card is at the ATM. Preferably always use an ATM in or just outside the bank during business hours. ATM’s where there is a guard precent is the safest. When you approach the ATM check if there are people loitering near the ATM. There should preferably only be a guard and customers which are either busy at the ATM machines or waiting their turn in the queue. When you stand in front of the ATM machine there should be sufficient distance between yourself and the next person in the queue/front of the queue. When you type in your PIN at the ATM machine cover the pin pad with your hand and key in your pin with the other hand. Don’t forget your card in the ATM machine because somebody can take it before the machine will retract it. The moment that you discover that you have lost the card report it to the bank immediately. There is usually a 24-hour telephone number at the back of your credit/bank card. It is recommended that you store it on your cell phone contact list, because if you lose your card, you won’t have the telephone number to report the loss.
Never allow any stranger/s to come close to you while you are busy at the ATM machine. If any stranger start to move closer to you and start to offer advice, shout at the person to please move away, as well as immediately press the red cancel button, take your card and report it to the guard if there is one. Otherwise report it to the relevant bank or shopping centre management.
A new fraud modus operandi is a SMS or email from your “Bank” that say that you have to provide information to get your FICA status/profile updated. If you don’t do it your account will be blocked within 24 hours. A bank or a financial institution will never send you SMS’s, emails or WhatsApp’s to click on buttons and links and provide information. When you receive such messages don’t click on it and delete it as soon as possible.
There are also emails from well-known courier services informing you that your parcel is now at the depot but can only be delivered if you provide information by clicking on the provided message/link. If you don’t expect a parcel delete the message immediately, it is not from the real courier services. If you have ordered something and expect a delivery the courier will definitely deliver it to your address or phone you to come and collect.
You should be very careful when you order anything online from an unknown online site. Daily cases are reported to the police by people who bought a dog or a cat online and pay the full price or a deposit, only to find out later that the site was just a fake site interested in stealing your money, not a real breeder of cats and dogs. It is recommended that pets should preferably not be bought online. The same apply to accommodation and travel reservation sites. Make reservations on well-known accommodation and travel reservation sites.
If somebody offer you a deal which is too good to be true it is in all probability not true. Say somebody offers you 20% interest on an investment, but you only received 8% where you invested your money so far, you should be very careful and first consult with a financial adviser at a bank or personal financial adviser. Be especially vigilant when friends, acquaintances and family tell you that they had invest x amount of money and within six months they had increase it with 40%. Probably they had already become the victims of a Ponzi scheme and will loose the money that they invest in it. It is just a matter of time!
Never apply for a personal loan which you had not initiated. Very regularly emails, SMS or WhatsApp messages are sent to people inviting them to apply for personal loans at very low interest rates. Sometimes these invitations come from well-known banks and loan institutions. It looks like the real thing. When you apply online you will usually get a very quick approval of the loan and they will ask you to pay in a loan initiation fee of anything between 10 to 20 percent of the loan. They will also tell you that you will receive the initiation fee back when you do your last loan instalment. When you see that, you should know that you are going to lose that money. Loan initiation fees is illegal. Don’t pay it because you are going to lose this money and you are not going to receive the loan that you have applied for.
Banking Apps on your cell phone and PC have become very useful banking tools. Especially for those who find it difficult to physically go to the bank. As with all internet business these Banking Apps should be used very responsibly. Your Username and Password, like your pin and security code in the case of bank- and credit card transactions, is your secret and should not be shared with anyone. It should be emphasised that it is, except for business accounts, unwise to keep large sums of money in a personal current account. Extra funds should be kept in accounts where the bank must be notified of a withdrawal in advance (a notice account). If the cyber criminals then succeeds to get to your current account, they will in all probability only be able to transfer small amounts of money while the bulk of your savings will be secure and even earn some interest.
There is nothing wrong for especially lonely single people to join dating and friendship websites. But when the person that you met in such a manner start to ask for money to come and visit, the red lights must start to flicker. Unfortunately, cyber criminals also prey on these lonely people who look for friendship and love. One such criminal can at the same time be the new find love/friend of many lonely people and walk away with lots of money.
