The sound from the message on the cell phone, attracts attention. Reading in the messenger, spontaneous, almost instinctive. The sender, (supposedly) executive of a large multinational company, asks: “You are in the video” ?. Here is a link … No, this is not a simple message, nor are you in the video of the link, but it is an internet virus, which has been circulating for the last decade and with a simple “click” is activated, by recipients, every day, thousands of unsuspecting citizens, internet users. This virus is certainly not an isolated phenomenon. Cryptocurrencies (bitcoin), phishing, pharming, ransomware, erotic scams and all kinds of cyber viruses, lead to electronic scams.
The above are just some of the elements that compose the dark side of the internet, that citizens are called to know, so as not to fall victim to it, in their daily lives.
The director of the Cybercrime Prosecution Sub-Directorate of Northern Greece (YDIEBE) George Apostolidis described to the Athenian / Macedonian News Agency the dangers posed by such messages, pointing out the ways in which users can protect themselves and avoid attempts at electronic deception by experts.
Cyber fraud has evolved – The elderly over the age of 60, 28% of victims
“Frauds are now more sophisticated and the perpetrators are more trained in both technical and financial issues”, Mr. Apostolidis underlined and clarified that that the use of cryptocurrency trading mechanisms (the so-called mixing services or tumblers), leads to the concealment of cash flow and significantly complicates the identification of the final recipient. Scams, combined with the use of cryptocurrencies to commit them, require researchers with specialized knowledge to elucidate them. The property damage for the citizens of our country is estimated annually in amounts ranging from 9 to 40 million euros “.
Referring to the ages of the victims, he said that “everyone should be suspicious now, especially the older citizens. 28% of people who have been cheated are over the age of 60, who do not know how the internet works. At the same time, in Greece, according to the Hellenic E-Commerce Association (GRECA), the volume of electronic orders, in the midst of a pandemic, and specifically for December 2020 exceeded 800,000 per day. “E-Commerce, which under normal circumstances constitutes 17% of the traffic, today reaches 83% of the total volume of purchases and this also contributes to the increase of electronic frauds”.
Online scams: cryptocurrencies, ransomware, pharming, phishing and romance scams
The director of the Cybercrime Prosecution Sub-Directorate in Northern Greece George Apostolidis, Referring to the most popular scams, he explained: “Cryptocurrency investment scams (bitcoin) and” ransomware “cases, which are software attacks, are widespread and have evolved. We open a page, where there is a virus and when we open it, it essentially locks the files and decrypts all the data of our computer, because it tells us that we are supposed to have entered a pornographic page. The perpetrators pretend to be the police and ask us to unlock our files, to pay some money in cryptocurrencies. This is one of the many “ransomware” cases. Of course, the Greek Police has no case to ever ask for bitcoin and this should be known to all citizens “(for more instructions: http://www.astynomia.gr/images/stories/2012/prokirikseis2012/Odigies_Ransomware.pdf).
In the cases of “pharming”, Mr. Apostolidis explains that they send emails supposedly from a bank, in which there is a link that transports the user to an environment identical to that of the bank and there they ask for his personal codes. If we give them, would-be fraudsters could get into our accounts and take our money. Banks, he says, never ask for our codes this way.
The term «phishing», explains the director of the Cybercrime Prosecution Sub-Directorate in Northern Greece, also refers to fraudulent emails, which aim to deceive their recipients and disclose to fraudsters their personal and financial information or security codes.
Describing how phishing works, he said: “These emails can be very similar to the ones that banks send to their customers. Copy the logo, features and style of the actual emails. They use terminology that gives the feeling of urgency. They ask you to download an attachment to your device or to click on an electronic link.
He underlined that there are also romantic, erotic scams which are one of the most expensive forms of scams. A handsome man or girl appears, often claiming to be – for example – soldiers in the Iraq war or businessmen and that they want to transfer to Greece the money they have earned. They gain our trust, “sell” us love and affection and then tell us that in order for the amount to be released, some taxes must be paid by us, money that is supposed to be returned to us. Under no circumstances should we believe them.
But how can we protect ourselves from all these cyber threats? Here are some important tips from YDIEVE:
* Keep the software up to date, including browser, antivirus and operating system.
* Be especially careful if a “bank” email asks you for sensitive information (eg your bank account password via internet banking).
* Check the email carefully: compare the address with the previous actual emails from your affiliate bank. Check for spelling and grammar or syntax errors.
* Do not reply to a suspicious email, instead forward it to your affiliate bank by entering its email address yourself.
* Do not “click” directly on the electronic link (link) and do not download the attached file, instead enter the address of the electronic link in the web browser you use.
* In case of any doubt, check the website or call your affiliate bank.
Fraudulent messages seem legitimate
Mr. Apostolidis stressed that “cybercriminals are based on the fact that people are busy and hurried, while fraudulent emails seem to be legal.” As he put it, “In the last two years amid a pandemic, cyber fraud has increased significantly. Specifically, in 2020 we had 6019 new cases and in 2021 the cybercrime directorate dealt with 7328 cases with an increase of 21.75% compared to the previous year. Online fraud in 2021, compared to 2020 increased by 27%, while only in Northern Greece from 241 increased to 360 “.
These emails are very similar to the emails sent by banks to their customers, they copy the logo, features and style of the actual emails, they use terminology that gives a sense of urgency and usually ask you to download your device an attached file or click on an online link.
In case a citizen falls victim to cyber fraud in a commercial transaction, he must immediately report it to his bank, if the product was paid by credit, debit or prepaid card. He may have the right to a refund. As fraud is a prosecuted offense on complaint, he or she should also go to the nearest police station or prosecutor’s office to report it, providing the necessary evidence.
What we need to do for secure online transactions
According to YDIEVE, for secure online transactions we must conduct market research before making any transaction, to buy from reliable sources. It is important to check for recurring charges and avoid storing payment details. We make sure of the secure data transfer process. We look for the padlock symbol in the URL bar and use the HTTPS and SSL protocols when browsing the internet and avoid online shopping on websites that do not use full authentication (Verified by Visa / Mastercard Secure Code).
We should also always save all the documents (documents) related to online shopping and when we buy online from an individual, do not send money in advance to the seller. We do not send money to someone we do not know and we protect our cards as we would protect our cash. We do not disclose our PIN to anyone specifically via e-mail. It is a good idea to have an antivirus program installed on your computer and to avoid shopping on shared computers.
It is known that most of the time to make a purchase or transaction in an online store, most likely we will need to create an account and choose a password. In order to be protected we need to create a strong password, which we need to change regularly. We do not use the same username and password in different Internet services, so that if someone violates our password in one service, they will not have access everywhere. Names, dates of birth and phone numbers may seem like the right solution to remember our passwords but it is not safe so we use a combination of words, numbers and symbols or even whole phrases.
Finally, we should be cautious when we come across “big” offers that expire immediately, as they usually hide pitfalls. Also, special attention should be paid if there is an inconsistency or spelling mistake on the online store website.
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