This holiday season, more of my Facebook friends have been sharing concerns about cybersecurity. Some of them were alarmed after receiving “urgent” emails from their bank that asked for details like their usernames, passwords, and one-time PIN (OTP).
The messages sounded very urgent and warned of dire consequences if the requested information is not sent immediately. These consequences include their account will be frozen and locked in a way that they won’t be able to access and withdraw from their ATM this Christmas.
Who wouldn’t be frazzled right? But instead of scrambling to provide their personal details and OTP, most of my friends thankfully had the presence of mind to scrutinize the messages that they received. Most had these unusual features:
- An email address that is not associated to the bank’s website. Example: banksname@live.com instead of banksname@banksname.com
- Poorly constructed message with grammar and spelling errors
- Strange email layout that is different from the usual email of the bank
- The message is asking for the recipient to click on a link with a strange URL
- The message contains an unknown attachment
It’s fortunate that some people catch these signs before they fall prey to cyber grinches. However, they are very easy to miss and dismiss. We are all in a rush preparing for the holidays and could often be caught off-guard when we receive such urgent-style of messages that allegedly come from our banks. Who would want their accounts frozen at Christmas or New Year, right? We all need our cash to buy gifts, food, and go to places this holiday.
WATCH: #BPISecuriTips 2019
Cybercriminals, it would appear, are not much different from your pickpockets on the street. They too, take advantage of people’s extra income and distractions during the holidays and double their efforts at defrauding them.
BPI is alerting not just their customers but everyone to watch out for emails with suspicious attachments. This is a new way that fraudsters are blindsiding victims. Attachments can contain viruses, malware and phishing links.
These can trick us into revealing confidential information. Note that even the most tech-savvy can fall prey to these tricks if they’re not aware of new ways fraudsters try to steal hard-earned money.
BPI reminds us of three things to keep our accounts safe and secure:
- Never give confidential information such as username, passwords, one-time PIN, mobile number, birthdays, and the like. These details can help give fraudsters access to your account.
- Double check your transactions. BPI provides an OTP for every transaction such as fund transfer, bills payment, linking of device, change of number, etc. An OTP is needed to complete a certain transaction.
- Report any suspicious e-mail, text messages and calls to your bank.
It’s also said that social media is where a lot of fraud originates and many of us will be on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, etc. connecting and sharing with friends this Christmas.
If you are reading this article, you are already doing a great job at protecting yourself from digital theft. Here are some more reminders we can use:
- Avoid multitasking when reading a message or taking a call from your bank.
- If you can’t take a call at certain times and you know you’ll be distracted – turn on your Airplane Mode.
- Have the presence of mind to verify who’s calling and for what reason.
- Don’t panic, stay calm and think before giving any information, especially when someone threatens to freeze or hold your account.
- Think before posting anything on social media that fraudsters can take advantage of.
- Examine mobile apps and links before downloading them onto your device.
- If you’re not sure of anything, contact or visit your bank on the next working day before giving any information at all. Nothing is really truly urgent that cannot wait unless it is a matter of life or death. When it comes to our money, it’s better to wait if it means we can transact more securely with confidence. Contact your bank’s hotline too.
- When in doubt, always say no.
It doesn’t matter what your bank is, all of us are targets to cyber thieves. Help these tips reach as many people by sharing them with your friends and loved ones.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
