Fraudsters continue to manipulate with fears and trust to obtain client data. The best counteraction to thieves is non-disclosure of confidential information under any circumstances and knowledge of common fraudulent schemes.

Social engineering is the psychological manipulation of a person through which confidential information can be accessed. The purpose of fraudsters is to find out the financial phone number and details of the bank card, to lure the transfer of funds to the fraudulent card under the pretext of an emergency.

Let's consider 3 recently popular fraudulent schemes.

1. SIM card reissue

Your personal phone number is linked to your account, and the bank sends all card transaction information to this number. Sometimes the phone number is a login to enter the personal account. Fraudsters gain control over the phone number by ordering a remote SIM card renewal service. To do this, they just need to call your number several times, as if by mistake, sometimes they make calls on behalf of the operator with new offers, and during the conversation they learn the necessary information (three numbers you call often, the amount on your phone account). In the future, they will have only to inform the mobile operator of this information to reissue the SIM card. Similar risks arise if your phone is stolen and it is not password protected. In addition, evidence of criminal intent of fraudsters may be replenishment of your account by unknown persons.

How to protect yourself?

• Contact the operator and disable the possibility of remote SIM card reissue, link the financial phone number to your passport. Set additional passwords.
• Download the mobile operator's application to monitor your phone number.
• If you receive suspicious calls from unfamiliar numbers, or you notice lack of mobile coverage in your usual location, you must immediately contact the bank and block the card and Internet banking. Be sure to contact your operator.

2. Installing third-party software for remote access to the phone

Somebody pretending to be your "mobile operator" calls you usually from an unknown number with new advantageous offers on the tariff and informs about obligatory updating of the software, for the following reason: "If you do not install it, not all programs on the phone will be able to work properly, there may be failures, there will be no access to Internet banking, etc." They send you an SMS-link to the Play Market, but the link contains software that gives full access to your phone. Calls can also be made on behalf of the "bank", allegedly needing to install software to protect money in the account.

Thanks to third-party software, criminals get the ability to COMPLETE remote unauthorized control over your device. This is access to your data, SMS-messages, including passwords to confirm online transactions, calls, list of contacts.

How to protect yourself?

• Do not follow links or open attachments received from unknown senders.
• Do not install free applications from unofficial sources to your phone.
• Use antivirus software.
• Use public open Wi-Fi networks only if absolutely necessary.

3. Phishing in OLX Shipping

After making a purchase on the OLX website and successfully paying via OLX Delivery, an SMS message arrives at your phone number stating that the order has been frozen or a technical failure has occurred. Or your seller offers you to make a secure purchase and sends via Viber a link to a similar fake website looking like OLX or payment website. Then you are asked to enter the card details using a fake link. By entering your card details, you lose money because you give access to sensitive data to fraudsters. 

How to protect yourself?

• Communicate only through official channels - hotline, mail, application. Check the number the messages are coming from.
• OLX does not send SMS and Viber messages from OLX Delivery.
• Do not follow links in questionable messages. You should be alarmed if asked to enter the card details.
• Obtain a separate virtual card in the bank for making payments on the Internet, to which you can transfer small amounts to make certain payments for goods and services.

The most important thing always to remember is:

Keep in secret the following:

• Three-digit number on the back of the card (CVV-code)
• Codes of banks and mobile operators
• Passwords in internet banking
• Bank code word

You can only report the following:

• 16-digit card number
• Last name, first name and patronymic

Did you tell card details and passwords to a fraudster?

• Immediately block the card in online banking and report fraud (call the bank hotline indicated on the back of the card)
• Contact Cyberpolice online (following the link ticket.cyberpolice.gov.ua)

Important safety measures:

• Create a separate financial SIM card.
• Contact your mobile operator, link your mobile number to your passport. This will eliminate the possibility of remote SIM card reissue
• Set daily limits in Internet banking, or block the possibility of online transactions.
• Do not distribute on the Internet the mobile phone number to which the bank account is linked.
• Use only strong passwords.
• Do not tell codes from SMS messages when you receive calls from unknown suspicious numbers, even if they say that they are now going to call back from a hotline number.
• Use separate logins and passwords in the mobile application of each bank where you are serviced. This rule should also apply to all your mailboxes.
• Do not follow the links in the messages. Memorize the official addresses of the sites you use.
• Remember that the bank never calls from the call center phone numbers (numbers are used only for incoming calls).
• In any unclear circumstances, call your bank's call center immediately.