Hellenic Banks Association: What to watch out for to avoid electronic fraud

The Hellenic Banking Association (EET) informs about the widespread and dangerous ways of electronic fraud, the alleged technical support and the theft of identity data, in the context of the public awareness campaign for cyber security issues, but also the European month of cyber security.

As EET has mentioned in the information material with the typology of “cyber” frauds and the ways of prevention, in addition to the cases of CEO fraud (CEO Fraud), fraud through invoices and other documents (invoice Fraud), fraudulent phone calls (vishing) , fraudulent SMS (smishing), fraudulent emails (phishing), fraudulent bank websites, spoofed bank websites, romance scam, personal data theft, investment fraud scams), online shopping scams, alleged technical support scams, electronic fraud through telephone communication, identity theft, and SIM Swapping scams were added.

The purpose of the identity theft may be:

– Opening a bank account (eg for issuing fake checks or taking loans

– The violation of email accounts

– Obtaining insurance policies

– Selling information to other perpetrators on the internet

What is identity theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information (eg name, credit card number, social security number, driver’s license number, police ID or passport number, VAT number, etc.) for fraudulent purposes.

Protect yourself from identity theft:

1 Verify all requests for your personal information.

2 Limit the number of personal data you share online (eg on social media).

3 Regularly monitor your online banking activities and your credit card transactions.

4 To keep your email safe, empty your inbox as soon as possible.

5 If you believe you have been the victim of identity theft, contact your co-operation bank immediately, gather all possible information and report the incident to the police

The cyber scams awareness and public awareness campaign has been launched by Europol, in collaboration with the European Banking Federation (ETF) as part of the European Cyber ​​Security Month.