There are more and more phone or SMS scams that we have to deal with in our day to day. And it is that, now more than ever, it is easy to fall into the trap of cybercriminals if we are not attentive, especially to the latest methods that they are using to deceive people.
For this reason, it is important to know the most used fraudulent practices in those users who have a mobile. And even if you don’t believe it, with the simple fact of knowing these four ways, you can live much more calmly. More than anything, because you will know how to distinguish whether you have to answer the call you have received or not.
Most used methods to scam
The practices that we are going to talk about next are done through calls or SMS. With them, what they try to do is get a person to provide a series of personal data with which, later, they can carry out a series of actions such as charging their account, impersonating their identity, etc. Therefore, it is important to know the four methods that are being used the most today:
- phishing
We are facing one of the most used practices right now by cybercriminals. In this case, this method first consists of the victim receiving an SMS with a link that leads to the download of an app with malware. Therefore, if she falls for the trick and installs the app on her phone, the attackers can gain access to the phone line and different user passwords.
- slamming
Generally, this practice is done through a phone call. Cybercriminals call potential victims falsely warning them that their operator is going to worsen their rate conditions or raise the price. All with the purpose that the client decides to leave his company to go to the one that they recommend in said call. And so get your data.
- SIM swappable
With this technique, criminals are able to duplicate the victim’s SIM, obviously without their consent. In this way, they will not only be able to receive all kinds of calls, but they will also be able to obtain their security codes when trying to charge the victim’s checking account.
- Wangiri
This last practice consists of making numerous consecutive calls to the client in a very short period of time and from a special or international number. In this way, they get the victim, seeing so many missed calls, to return the call, generating a high charge on their telephone bill.
How to act in these situations
In these cases, it is not only necessary to know the different practices of cybercriminals, but it will also be necessary to know how to act in these situations so that you do not fall into the trap and they can neither take money nor obtain personal data:
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There will be no link that you receive by SMS from unknown contacts.
- Beware of SPAM calls from the same number. Before answering or returning the call, search for the phone in pages like ListaSpam.
- If you have provided personal data, such as telephone number, email or bank details, remain vigilant and check that you are not the object of another type of fraud by these means or that your identity is not supplanted. If you have given bank details, it is best to contact your bank.
