When selling an item we can choose online or face-to-face sales. Some people believe that face-to-face sales can be safer than Internet sales when this is not always the case. In the event that we want to sell something of ours, meeting the buyer in person is usually safer. However, that does not mean that we do not run risks, fake banking applications are used in various ways to scam us. In this article we are going to explain how you can be scammed with fake banking applications when making your sales.
When selling something that belongs to us, meeting the buyer in person is often safer than doing the transaction online. The reason is that scammers don’t like face-to-face meetings and many common online scams don’t work face-to-face. However, criminals are looking for their tricks like using fake banking apps
Fake banking apps and types
A fake banking app could be defined as an app that is designed to look like it is legitimate from a bank, but is actually not and is used to scam.
When we talk about fake banking apps we come across two types. One of them is the fake Phishing banking applications whose purpose is that we are victims of a Phishing attack. These types of apps have an identical appearance to that of banks. Cybercriminals spread them through emails and many users think they are receiving an email from their bank. The moment the victim downloads and installs this application, the cybercriminals obtain our banking credentials the moment we enter them. Then they usually use this data to empty bank accounts.
Then we have the fake banking apps to use for face-to-face fraud. This type of app does not steal any information and is used to simulate the sending of fake payments. Thus, criminals install the application on their smartphones, and then do so as evidence of a bank transfer that does not actually happen. Many users seem to trust receiving money if a stranger’s phone shows that it has been sent. This second type is the one we would see the most in face-to-face fraud.
Protect your bank credentials
This would be more in relation to fake Phishing apps and other bad practices that we can employ. The first thing we must do if it is a mobile phone is only download those apps from official sources such as the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. No downloading attachments from our email or other disreputable app stores.
The reason is that sometimes they have apps with various types of malware that can steal our information. As for if we use an Internet browser, we must pay close attention to the URL and be very careful with those that come from e-mail. You may be interested in knowing how to manage bank cards in Chrome and avoid leaks.
Why they work and how not to be a victim
The success of these types of scams is that they are easy to carry out. Fake banking apps are designed to look exactly like the original ones and the average user is not even aware that they exist. Another relevant fact is that bank transfers usually take from one to several days to complete. For this reason, the seller does not expect an instant payment and has to wait for the money to arrive.
These types of apps are not difficult to create, the only important issue is to develop one with an identical appearance to the original since they do not carry out any action. Also, if the buyer uses a different bank than the seller, which is very likely, the victim will not even expect a specific appearance. That is why some tips that can help us make the sale safely are:
- Only sell to people with a good reputation.
- Avoid dealing with buyers who are in a hurry.
- Agree to pay in cash.
- Meet the buyer in a public place.
Finally, whether online or in person, you have to be very attentive to buying and selling scams since they are the order of the day.