The promise of winning a smartphone, the 'last chance' to buy a product at a discount, or alarming news about a loan in your name can be reasons for a fraudulent call. Criminals try to make a person rush and willingly provide card details or a code from an SMS. About this reports the Kyiv City State Administration.
What telephone schemes do fraudsters use
According to a warning from the National Bank, fraudsters may call on behalf of a store and talk about a profitable promotion or an unexpected prize. To receive the 'win', a person is asked to pay for shipping or tax.
Another scenario is a message about a supposedly issued loan. A fake employee offers to help cancel the transaction, but for that, they ask to dictate the code from the SMS. This way, criminals can gain access to the account or confirm a financial transaction. Similar tactics are used in schemes involving calls from mobile operators.
Pressure and demands to act immediately should raise suspicion: 'only today', 'urgent', 'last item left'. It is especially dangerous if the conversation turns to card details. Store and bank employees should not ask for the PIN code, CVV code, or password from a message.
What to do during a suspicious call
The simplest thing is to end the conversation and independently verify the information through the official website or company number. Do not follow links dictated over the phone, and do not provide personal or payment information. If pretending to be from the bank, one can separately contact them using the number on the card or the official website.
If you have already provided information or noticed a suspicious transaction, contact the bank to block the card or account access, and file a report with the Cyber Police through the official report form. For more information about other schemes for extracting details, read the article about fake compensation for electricity.